Love in a Library 2
by Lilith-dono
Summary: Kagome is having a hard time accepting life in the U.S.A. Sesshomaru, Natsuo, Rin, and Shippou are a blessing, but she grows homesick. What if a little unwelcome home from the past comes and catches up with our happy couple? Not discontinued anymore?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Introduction

I remember, in college, always looking at Inuyasha for help and support. He was my lifeline, my savoir, my God. I thought he would always be behind me in everything I did. How wrong I was. But, honestly, I guess that doesn't count now. I don't even know why I'm reminiscing about it!

I guess I do have a point, looking at my son right now. I would always imagine, back then, that I'd have Inuyasha's child. He would have my colored hair, Inuyasha's smooth tan skin, and his unruly type hair. My child, I had imagined, would have my lips and nose, and his golden eyes. Some of that is still true, looking at my child. But so different.

Smooth straight silver hair that was becoming wavier, like my own, sat atop his head. His nose was his father's, while he had my lips and smile. His eyes were golden and he his skin was pasty white, also like his father's.

Thank you, Inuyasha, for my son. If you had never happened, my Book Boy would have never happened to me. And if my Book Boy never happened to me, my son would have never been born. So I thank you, though this thanks remains in my motherly little head.

"Natsuo…" I called to the infant, hoping he would come to his mother. He had recently learned to walk, and I had been so ecstatic as of late. I would take his little hands in my own and help him trudge across the carpet of the living room. Then I would give him a big kiss on the cheek and compliment him, in my best baby talk voice, that he did wonderful for his mommy and that I would always be proud of him.

"Kagome…" I heard Sesshomaru groan, but I duly ignored it.

"Natsuo, baby, baby. Come to mama!" I smacked my lips, making the child giggle before crawling to where I sat on the floor. "That's my baby, baby!"

"Kagome…" I could hear his voice getting annoyed, but I paid no mind. How could Book Boy not tolerate baby talk! You should see him in the morning when he's about to go to school and I'm feeding the baby (Natsuo has erratic sleeping patterns, especially at 2 year of age, so I'm up at five in the morning when Book Boy wakes up.) "You are doing it again, love."

I sighed, "You really need to learn how to tolerate this. If we plan on having any more, we're going to go through the same thing over and over again. Don't give me that stare—it's true!" I paused. "Every baby needs a baby-talking mother."

"Hn."

"And ever mother has a father behind her, giving her the sneering 'Hn'," I said, smiling as I did so. "Besides, why have little Natsuo become so bitter? You don't want to be like Papa, do you, little boy? Giving any woman the 'Hn'?"

"You tease," Book Boy said, his voice hiding his smile.

"You love me!" I cooed. "You _love_ me."

"I _love _you," he mocked, making me frown. But, yet again, I paid him no mind. His teasing remarks came regularly to me during the day, along with his kisses, smiles, and glares. He tends to glare at me a lot, especially during my baby talk. Perhaps he feels left out.

"Would you like me to talk baby talk to you instead?"

"I'd rather not have you talk," he bantered, smirking as he did so. "Except when you're moaning my name." I scowled at him, cupping Natsuo's ears.

"Don't listen to Papa, baby boy! He's a dirty, perverted man, and you shouldn't become like him. You should be a clean minded baby—talking about cleaning, I think you need a good one," I said, picking up the boy in my arms to change his diaper. He giggled as he clutched the shoulder of my blue dress.

"Hmm, how pleasant, my dear. Telling our son his father is a perverted nothing," Sesshomaru called as he leaned further into the couch, readjusting his newspaper. To get him back, I gave a very loud, obnoxious "Hn!"

Once Natsuo was clean and happy, I carried him back into the living room where his Papa was sitting. As I sat beside him, sinking into the couch, Sesshomaru flipped a page of the American printed-paper.

"How was school today?"

"The usual," he said simply. "Annoying brats who have no appreciation for literature." I giggled at this, though Book Boy did well keeping his face impassive. No doubt it was true.

"There had to be some who enjoy good literature," I told him simply. "I loved literature in high school."

"I have a handful," he admitted, "but only a handful. I expected so many bright minds in America…" He sighed softly. "It doesn't matter. Now, how has your day faired?"

"Hmm…it's been okay. Natsuo and I went for a walk in the park, and we visited the library for my shift," I explained quickly. Book Boy nodded as the baby began to squirm in my arms. I allowed him out of my arms to crawl onto Sesshomaru's lap.

I smiled as he patted the little boy's head and adjust him into a comfortable position. Natsuo then began to point at the print of the paper, grasping the sheet at the end. Book Boy paid no mind…so I decided to watch the inevitable. Hey, if Sesshomaru didn't see what was coming, that was his problem. He should know his son well enough to predict what he would do with the paper.

On cue, the little hand reached out. Twitching little fingers flexed around the edge of the newspaper. Before he could pull and rip, Book Boy had his large hand over the one fifty times smaller than his own.

"No," he said sternly. "No." The toddler's lip quivered, and I went to pick him up. Book Boy stopped me with a look and bounced the boy on his leg. "You spoil this child, Kagome."

"This is the time when I can spoil him…" I frowned, "besides, my baby is my baby and I don't like when my baby cries. He gives me headaches when he does." Natsuo began to bawl, causing me to give a tired sigh. "He's a happy kid, Sess-kun. I like my baby happy."

Book Boy sighed as he sat down the paper to deal with the child. He took the boy in his arms and rubbed his back softly. The boy hushed after a few moments, now enthralled by the largeness of his father's hands.

One little finger drew a circle in Book Boy's palm. Natsuo liked to marvel at the plush flesh, and often took Sesshomaru's hands. It made me smile. He was going to look up to his father one day, and want to become like him. Even at this early stage, I know he'll want to. The adoration for his papa is all ready shining in his eyes.

"Are you calm?" Book Boy asked softly as the boy sniffled.

"No," Natsuo said. I grinned. That was his favorite word. No.

"That's wonderful," Sesshomaru said softly. "Now don't bite my finger like last time."

"No," Natsuo said again, this time louder. I sighed.

"You're a sap when it comes to children," I said simply as I leaned back in the couch with a smile. "It adds onto your character."

"Hmm," was all he mumbled before he watched the child take his two little hands to try and grip his father's. Once the grip was strong, he began to shake his hand. "Where are Rin and Shippou?"

"At the tutor's next door. They should be here for dinner soon. I have Kare Raisu cooking in the kitchen. I decided something simple tonight," I mumbled, closing my eyes leisurely.

"When do we pay Mr. Kemura for this month's lessons?" He asked. I heard my baby's giggle, so I suppose Book Boy did something to make him smile.

"I think on the 24th of September. The kids are starting school soon…" I sighed happily. "I'll have more time on my hands now that they know more English."

My children, Rin and Shippou, have been learning English since the time they've arrived in the United States. They attend an English public school, but there is still so much English to learn (this year had been pushed back an extra month for them to learn the proper English they need in order to build their vocabulary and have less lessons during the school period). But they are learning. Sometimes they surprise me with the knowledge they know—from hanging with American friends, they've grown a newer accent. I like that they can speak both English and Japanese—I know they'll always honor a part of their culture that way. But America is a place with better choices and opportunities.

I wish for Japan almost every other day. I feel home sick sometimes. Book Boy comforts me when it becomes to overbearing, but I'm sickened that we had to move from our country to another, just because of his father. I hate his father. I have always given people a try, a little chance, but with this man I found no exception. He was evil. He made me leave my home.

Some days I do like this suburb. It's quiet and soothing, and allows me to relax. But I miss the busy Tokyo streets. It seems like everything is a quiet place now—I only needed one quiet haven in Japan. I just needed my library. But now two libraries, parks, and homes surround me. I can hear children laughing once I open the window in our bedroom. It's so…so different.

"Mama! We're home!" Rin cried from the front door, a loud slam echoing after her. I sighed.

"Rin, darling, don't slam the door!" I reminded loudly. The knob jiggled and another opening squeak and slam followed.

"Mama, Papa, I'm back!" Shippou called, running after his sister. I heard soft childish footsteps run upstairs.

"You have quite a handful while I'm at work," Sesshomaru mused with a smile. "But Rin and Shippou will be starting school very soon, darling. Less than a week away…" I smiled as he raised an eyebrow at me, asking me silently, _what do you say? I can take a sick day, we can drop Natsuo off with a babysitter and we'll have some us time. Tempting, hmm?_

"Sess-kun, no!"

"You're the one who keeps reminding me of children. We might as well expand the family?" He smiled. "One more mouth to feed won't be too painful."

"So you say!" I snorted. "You weren't the one who blew up the size of a whale and had raging hormones. And you also weren't the one who popped a baby out of your uterus!"

He laughed softly as Natsuo took the newspaper and crumpled it in his hands. Ha! Book Boy, you were caught off guard. Your newspaper is now in the mouth of a one-year-old.

"Natsuo, I said _no_," Sesshomaru scolded the child softly as he pulled the newspaper out of his mouth. I sighed.

"I wonder if babies are like doggies. Just tap them on the nose and they'll be good…" I sighed. "That sounds too good to be true."

What if babies were like dogs? I guess that they do have similar characteristics, but are babies like puppies? Hmm, they might as well be. But babies get baths every other day, and get fed good meals. I think I'd rather be a baby than a puppy…not like this really has much to do with anything, though.

"But, love, though you were bloated like a whale and had raging hormones, you also cherished the child inside you. Do you remember the excitement we had when we found out the sex of Natsuo?" I pouted. He did bring up a good point. I was so excited when I carried Natsuo…a new motherly instinct was kicking in then. And I do remember the little kicking he'd do…but with that, I also remember pain and the ghastly morning sickness (and morning sickness is an understatement—you're not only sick in the morning. Afternoons count too!)

"Yeah…I remember…" I mumbled, looking as Natsuo began to tug Sesshomaru's hair. He had recently gotten it cut (you think you're surprised? You have no clue how scared I was when he came home with shoulder length hair, like a normal human being! I was so surprised I think I hid behind a couch), but now it was growing out a little bit more. It came to his elbows, almost like mine.

My husband and I have the same haircut…that is just slightly creepy.

"Kagome, I wish for a large family. I never had one when I was a child…I wish to experience one…" He leaned over and placed a kiss on my cheek. "With you."

"You just want some sex, that's what you want," I teased, taking Natsuo as he began to fuss. "But I'll consider it. You've been nagging me for a while…maybe."

"Maybe?" He asked. "You give me a 'maybe'?"

"Yes!" I cried. "A 'maybe'! Be content with that, Book Boy, or I'll just say flat out no." He smiled as he stood up. I waited as he bent down and pressed his lips to mine.

"I'm content," he told me, a barely noticeable smile on his lips. I grinned.

"So you are, love. So you are. Now set the table. I need to get Natsuo fed," I told him before giving him another kiss. "And I'll consider popping out another brat, okay?"

Before he could even reply, the phone rang, and there was a loud, "WAAAAAAAA!!!" Seeing as it was a girly squeal, I assumed it was Rin. Either that, or Shippou has become more feminine throughout our stay in the U.S.

"Rin!" Sesshomaru called. "Quiet!"

I sighed. My life is so full of noise and commotion nowadays (though this town seems so quiet and simple). "I'll get the phone really quick." I scampered off, baby in tow, to the kitchen where the cordless base rest. I grabbed it in one fluid motion, pressed the on button and balanced it between my shoulder and my ear. "Hello?" The line was silent for a moment as I placed the baby in the high chair I had gotten for him. It had little blue giraffes on the cushion seat and little toys for Natsuo to play with around the edges. "Hello?" I asked again.

"…Hi…it this the Higoorushi…erm…house?"

"Yes," I said pleasantly upon hearing the meek little voice. "And who is calling?"

"My name is John," the boy replied, although a little loud. I smiled at the bluntness of the child.

"O, hello John. Who are you calling for?" I asked. Before he could answer, Rin came rushing into the kitchen shaking her hands. Those two little feet of hers bounced from the tile of the kitchen floor to the air, and then back again.

"Mama!" She cried. "Mama, Mama! It's for me! Give it to me!" I smiled.

"John, here's Rin," I said, giving Rin the phone. I gave her a smile. "John, huh? Good luck, kid." The little girl grinned, took the phone, said a giggly hello, and rushed off to her room.

My smile grew. My Rin is all ready getting calls from boys!

"Whom was that?" Sesshomaru asked, entering the kitchen to start to set the table. He reached up into one of the cabinets to grab glasses and plates. My smile fell. What would Sesshomaru say when he heard his little daughter was getting a phone call from a boy? Would he be the protective type?

Hmm, I don't think so. He's too gentle to be overprotective. Or…at least I hope so.

"Umm…it was…."

"Don't lie to me," he said simply. "When you lie, your lies are usually unbelievable."

"Okay…" My smile softened. "That was just a boy." His shoulders were still relaxed. Hmm…no reaction?

"For whom? Shippou? Has he made a new playmate?"

"Rin!" I patted his back as I went to stir the curry. "Isn't it cute?" He was silent for a few moments. When he didn't reply, even after his short pause, I became worried. "Darling, you aren't one of those over protective…" I frowned at the saddened look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"She's getting a call from a boy, Kagome. A _boy_," he emphasized. "I won't allow it." Natsuo slapped the plastic of his high chair, meaning he wanted food. Before I thought of dealing with Natsuo, I placed my arms around Sesshomaru's waist.

"Darling, she's going into first grade. Don't get so excited. It's a boy, yes, but you remember childish crushes." I sighed. "I remember a boy in my second grade. He took me into the bushes to practice kissing."

"Kagome!" Sesshomaru growled. "Your teasing must end at some point!"

"O, Maru-kun, don't worry so much. It's not like she's going to contract an STD in first grade. It's not even possible," I said, trying to calm his frazzled nerves. "But seriously, darling, you're going to have to get used to this. They're going to grow up and get older, but you're always going to be their father. Just don't make it too difficult for them."

"Hn," was all he said, letting me know I had gotten through to him. I smiled and kissed the closest skin I could get to (which happened to be his elbow). I traced the purple stripe on his arm.

"You're showing, darling. If you don't want to let the children see, roll down your sleeve a bit," I whispered. Natsuo began to whine and I heard the clink of dishes clacking against wood. Seems one boy is off somewhere, my other is whining for food, and the big boy is setting the table to try to ignore my teasing.

…Thank God for Rin.

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A new whole story of Love in a Library! It's the sequel, mind you, so if you want to get a head's up, read Love in a Library. It will explain things so much better! Now, I want to get reviews for story ideas. I have an inkling to what I might do, but I haven't exactly thought this through. I need you, faithful reviewers, to help my poor, un-creative mind! Send me a review with an explanation, and I might take it into consideration. And if I do use one of your ideas, I will place you at the end of a chapter to praise your wonderfulness. How is that? I think it sounds pretty spiffy. 

Rules to abide to, however, in your ideas: **1) I'm not killing off any characters.**

** 2.) Your idea can't be stupid or, in other words, it has to be believable. Or at least remotely believable.**

** 3.) Kagome/Sesshomaru, of course. They will not get a divorce. But there can be a little tension as long as it's resolved.**

I am about open to anything new. Again, make it slightly believable, please?

That's about it! I hope this story can rise up along Love in a Library, and possibly surpass it. What do you say! Review away!

**Random Quote: **_"My uterus is glowing..." _Who can guess where that's from?

Lilith-dono _**(Help fight the evil word mistakes monster and you'll recieve an imaginary cookie for your good deed!)**_**  
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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

I felt his lips on my neck, and I sighed as he gave me a sweet goodnight. I replied back to him with my own soft goodnight before he nuzzled my neck and held me close. A ritual, if you will, when we fall asleep.

Now that I think about it, I kind of feel bad for teasing him so much for his want—no, his need—for children. I love Natsuo, Rin, and Shippou…would it hurt to have another? I'd love him or her just the same…and Book Boy would be so happy. But, having another child…it wouldn't spoil my chances of being more than a mother, would it? Three children are hard enough as it is…a fourth? Would my librarian dreams finally come to an end?

"Darling," I whispered. "Are you still up?"

"What is it?" He asked, although his voice was slightly muffled. I stroked his hair softly and I knew his eyes were closed.

"I…I've spent a lot of time thinking about this…" I began. "A fourth one would be…nice…" He shifted a bit.

"A fourth what?" He asked softly, groggily. I sighed. His mind was fogged with sleep. Sesshomaru never falls asleep before me. I think my sleeping patterns have become just as erratic as Natsuo's.

"A fourth child," I edged, frowning. "You were the one nudging me last week to have another one." His arms shifted, and sheets slid against each other as he leaned up to look at me. He rubbed his golden eye and reached over my chest to turn on the light on the bed stand. He stared at me for a long while before tilting his head to the side.

"You've considered?"

"Well…Natsuo doesn't satisfy you enough, does he? I mean, we've never had a planned pregnancy…one that we both want…Natsuo was wonderfully accidental…" I blushed in embarrassment. "I love my baby, but you've been so antsy…I don't…" I gave a tired sigh. "Something bad is going to happen."

He pressed his lips against my own gently. He lay down on the bed and wrapped his arms around me protectively. I fell against his chest and held the strong arms that held me. I closed my eyes and focused on his breathing and heartbeat.

"My dear, you are obviously not ready for a second child…not yet, I suppose." He wrapped the covers over us and turned out the light. "And as for your luminous feeling…let it be forgotten. Love, nothing will disrupt our peace."

"But…" I argued. "My heart is telling me otherwise. Something isn't right."

"We shall discuss this in the morning," he told me, kissing my temple. "Relax…" he soothed. "Goodnight, my Kagome. Sleep." I nodded meekly and snuggled as close as I could to my husband. As much as his words did comfort me, I still feel a weight on my body. It was pressing my flesh down into the bed, into his arms. It scared me. Something wasn't right…

"Sleep," he whispered. After a few moments his breathing steadied and his heartbeat slowed. I pressed my head against his chest and listened to the continuous thumping. It helped me regain some security—Book Boy was with me and would forever be with me. His heartbeat proved that. His heart belongs to my family and me. As long as his heart belonged to me, I would fine and safe. Perhaps I should just cast this feeling off…

I closed my eyes once and the feeling was lost. I had fallen into my dreamland.

That morning I didn't hear the alarm. But I did hear the thumping of his heart. It soothed me as I rested on him. I could only see black, seeing as though my eyes were closed. I heard the sweet chirping of birds and the loud bark of our neighbor's new dog. I also heard a giggle beside my ear.

"Hmm…" I mumbled. "Who is that?" I reached out a hand and felt a small head. I moved my fingers through the short hair and gasped, opening my eyes. "Natsuo?"

"We brought him last night, Mama…" Shippou whispered as Rin snuggled more into the sheets of the bed. I watched him.

"Darling, what happened?"

"We got scared," he told me sheepishly, running his fingers through his bright orange hair. "It was thundering last night. So Rin and I climbed into bed…but Natsuo wanted to come too so we brought him." I glanced at the clock, seeing that it read nine thirty in the morning.

"He slept through nearly the whole night!" I gasped, surprised and pleased with my baby boy. I glanced at him, smiled, and gave him a big kiss on his cheek.

"Mama!" The little boy squealed, causing Book Boy to shift.

"Go tickle Daddy, won't you? Maybe poke him in the sides a few times to get him up. Go on, baby. It'll be funny," I coaxed, hoping the little two year-old would follow my words and pester his father. When Natsuo did, I grinned. "Go on, baby…start tickling his neck. Like this!" I swept my fingertips across the back of Book Boy's neck, hoping to receive some reaction. Natsuo jumped right in with me and threw himself across his father's head.

"Ouch…" Shippou mumbled, watching the toddler squirm on his father's face. I gave a loud laugh.

Sesshomaru's hands went to his face, where a little giggling boy now was placed, his stomach over his father's nose, eyes, and mouth. His two hands wrapped around the child's waist and lifted him up so he could see and breathe.

"Natsuo?" He asked, leaning up so the sheets settled around his waist. The little boy shrieked in delight at being held in the air before he was placed down in Book Boy's lap.

"Good morning," I greeted, waving at him with a grin on my lips. "And I did not place a baby on your face this wonderful Saturday morning." His eyes twinkled for a moment as Natsuo began to bounce. He ran his fingers through his hair and yawned.

"Get out of here, all of you. Allow your mother and I to dress and we'll be down to make breakfast," he told them, looking down at the silver head in his lap. "You…I suppose you may stay."

"Where else is he gonna go?" I asked with a smile. "Go on, Rin, Ship. Get dressed for the day and I'll make omelet for breakfast. How does that sound?" They both chirped a loud, "Hooray!" before scampering out of the room. Sesshomaru fell back into the pillows and covered his face with a pillow.

"What time is it?" His groaned muffle asked. I giggled.

"Well, it's nine thirty, dear," I said, plucking the pillow off his face. I pressed my lips against his before pulling away. "You're the one who wants more, I hope you remember."

"You seem to want to remind me every day," he murmured as I grabbed little Natsuo and cradled him in my arms. I gave the little boy another kiss.

"Let's go, honey-bear. We'll start some breakfast while big mean Daddy gets dressed," I said as little cerulean eyes twinkled as Natsuo looked up at me. I smiled even more. I'm so happy he received my eyes. Now he looks like my child too, not just Book Boy's.

We walked down the hallway where our room was located, along with Natsuo's. Rin and Shippou's rooms were upstairs with a bathroom and the guest room. Downstairs was our room, a bathroom, kitchen and living room. Natsuo's room was now the office, which was joined onto our bedroom. Once Natsuo is old enough, he'll move into Shippou's room and we'll get our office back.

The boy babbled to me, nothing in particular, and mostly in mumbles. When I sat him in his high chair, he began to bounce before playing with a pair of plastic keys on the side. Once he was occupied, his baby mumbles became giggles and squeals as he continually pushed a button that spoke phrases. After hearing a dorky voice repeat things like, "Let's go on an adventure!" and "Milk is good for you!" I began to grow tired. But I went to get my ingredients anyway and started to put them together.

"We are going to disconnect the wires on that thing—I don't think he'll mind. What do you think?" I asked Book Boy as he entered the kitchen in a white long-sleeve t-shirt and a pair of dirty jeans. I sighed. "Those are disgusting, Sess-kun. I told you to get rid of them."

"They're comfortable," he said simply. "And they're not disgusting."

"You've had those same pair of pants for how many years now? Five?" I asked, receiving a shrug. I frowned. "I'll wrestle those pants off of you, mister." He smirked, and raised his eyebrows in a suggestive manner. I scowled at him. "…What I just said was not supposed to be amusing."

"But how amusing it was," he chided, smiling as he did so. "Have you had your coffee this morning? You seem a bit ruffled, darling." I frowned even more as I glared at the coffee maker. I hadn't even started it yet.

…Damn. Didn't I turn it on? No! I didn't!

"Argh!" I cried, pressing the button with a furious look on my face. "I want my coffee, Goddamn it!" Sesshomaru took a deep breath as he looked at Natsuo.

"Your mother seems to have anger management issues. Hopefully you won't inherit her short temper," he teased me, looking at Natsuo, whom only pressed that infuriating button faster and harder than before.

"Honey," I cooed, batting my eyelashes at the little doll faced boy. "Honey, honey, honey, you're driving Mama up the wall. Please spare her sanity for this day, and I'll give you a cookie after lunch. Heck, make that two cookies." The boy continued his button pressing, so I took his hand and said a firm, "No" like Book Boy always does. He began to cry.

"Get your coffee ingested quickly," Sesshomaru said as he took Natsuo out of the annoying high chair of doom (why I even bought that thing is utterly beyond me at this point). I pouted as I watched Book Boy settle the little boy down.

"I'm supposed to be his favorite," I whined. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes.

"You. Coffee. Now," was all he said as Natsuo began to run his fingers through his father's silver hair. I sighed as I banged the coffee machine on and placed some water in it. Did I even know how to work this thing in the morning?

…I guess it's time to find out.

"Watch out of your mother. She's in a rather odd mood," Sesshomaru warned Shippou and Rin. I glared at him from where I stood at the counter.

"Shut up," I growled. I then looked at the children. "And don't say that to other boys and girls. It isn't nice. When you're married, say it all you want because he most likely deserves it," I glared once more, causing Sesshomaru to smile.

"Ignore her. Now tell me, the two of you, what are you going to do today?" Sesshomaru asked, though I wasn't listening as he did. As the children began to explain what they were going to do, I glanced down at my attire. I was still in my hot pink nightgown with the frill by the knee (I don't now why I bought this thing either. It was on sale at TJMax for three dollars…maybe it was the neon green stripes that got me around the torso. I'm not sure. When I came home Book Boy thought it was an atrocity and pulled it off of me when I put it on for him to see. He's a clever devil when it comes to ways to find sex). Perhaps it was time to go change.

I left the kitchen with a, "Watch the stove while I get dressed, will you?" I didn't hear a reply, but I was sure Book Boy had it covered. He could be such a cot-quean when he wants to be.

When I walked into our closet, the nightgown went over my head. I placed on a simple white bra and a new pair of panties (I'm one of those people that goes through a tremendous amount of underwear. You know, change when you go to bed and put new ones on in the morning) before pulling on a pair of jean shorts. I exercised the baby weight from my pregnancy off and now fit into my regular jeans again. So I went with my black pair and pulled on a white short-sleeved shirt. I have no clue why I'm explaining my wardrobe choices to you, but it seems something I should point out. For what reason, hell like I know, but it's my life so I get to tell you. Ha.

I pranced downstairs in my Michael Kors socks (Author: Does anybody own Michael Kors socks? I do. They're jus so-o comfy!). I still have no reason to tell you what brand of socks I wear, but it seems to be important information. Because when I hit the last step, I slipped on the wood and fell backwards on my bottom.

Stupid socks.

"For your birthday, you are receiving a helmet from me," Book Boy teased as he finished the omelet I was supposed to make. How long did it take me to put on clothes? Twenty-five minutes? I did take a little pit stop on the way, I guess (I didn't tell you about this since it infuriated me to a point that I had to explain every little detail of my morning routine to you) and brushed my teeth, used the bathroom ext.

"Ha, ha," I told him sarcastically. "Thank you. Coffee?" I asked.

"Coffee," he held out a cup, a little smile on his lips. I kissed his cheek.

"Why thank you, Lord Ass. You mock me on the inside, and then everyone thinks I'm crazy when I call you names. Why is that?" I whispered so the children couldn't hear.

"Because…" he began. "I hide myself well, and you like to make a scene with the names you give me. And, besides, dear, you are rather childish." I pouted at him. "But that makes you all the more attractive in my eyes. Satisfied?"

"Quite," I mumbled, taking the plate of omelet he held out to me. I took the plate and placed it before the children. Natsuo was back in his high chair, back to his button pressing. Those blue eyes looked straight into my own as he continued pressing the button. I dropped my mouth. "He is your son!" I cried. "He's mocking me right now! Look at the little devil!"

Sesshomaru chuckled as he walked past, lifting the cup I held to my lips. "Take a drink."

I took a small gulp before nearly dropping my cup in surprise. "Ow!" I cried, placing the cup down on the counter. He chuckled again as I shouted, "My tongue!"

"So noisy," he teased. "In the morning too. Have you no shame, little door gluer?" I glared at him once more. I think Book Boy and I should have a glaring contest. Today I was winning by a landslide!

"I love you too," I mumbled, sitting down at the table. I pouted. "Your Papa teases me too much! Don't you think so? I need back up, I say! Back up!" I took Shippou and hugged him to me. "You'll be on my side, won't you? Please do. Please take my side." Shippou giggled as he slapped my arms away softly.

"Mama, I'm hungry," he told me with a smile. "I want to eat." I let go of him and sighed. I guess I was a lost cause…

I dusted off my jeans and took another slow, small sip of coffee. It soothed me immediately.

"Okay, Mama's calm. As calm as she can get…" I glanced at Natsuo as Sesshomaru got his food ready. Hmm, seems the teaser has decided to become silent.

We all ate in a comfortable silence. I gave Sesshomaru a chance to eat by taking the baby once more. He smiled slightly at me as he sat. You know, Book Boy really was a good father. He picked up my slack whenever I needed it. Though he was ignorant about some things, I knew he could handle a big family. It was just the question if I was ready to handle a big family.

At that moment, Sesshomaru's cell phone vibrated on the counter. His eyes widened slightly at the different vibrating pattern. Was it always like that? I thought it always was a continuous buzz…did it stop periodically?

He stood up and swiftly took the cell phone into the next room. The children had sensed his tension and looked at me. I could only look into the next room and wonder what was wrong.

Was my luminous feeling finally coming around? Was something big going to happen?

"It's all right," I said simply. "Eat and—" Before I could finished I heard my Book Boy's abnormally loud, growled, "What?" The children stared at me for an answer that I didn't have to give. I shook my head softly. "Go outside once your finished, all right? Something has made Papa angry. It might have to deal with work…" I smiled again, hoping they would feed off my lie. They nodded, put their plates on the counter, and skirted out of the kitchen as quickly as they could. I couldn't exactly blame them for wanting to run out of here. Book Boy never grew upset to the point of yelling.

I patted Natsuo on the head before tiptoeing into the room Book Boy occupied. He was pacing, the phone pressed to his ear, in silence. I sat on the couch and glanced at Natsuo, who was having a perfectly fun time in his high chair.

"…You can't," Book Boy said sternly. "It'll be giving too much information away." There was silence. "No…how do you realize this? It could just be…I suppose you're right. It's too frequent to be coincidental."

His eyes, at that moment, latched onto mine. I blinked at him innocently and remained quiet. It was what he needed now the most.

His silver hair was in disarray, and his liquid gold eyes were troubled. I hadn't seen that look in his eyes for a _very _long time. The last time I had seen the look of sheer fright had been when Natsuo had a cold three months after he was brought home. Sesshomaru had a complete mental breakdown when I met him at the hospital—Natsuo was diagnosed with Pneumonia. I was the one who had to hold him that night and tell him our baby would pull through and be fine. Perhaps you haven't understood the seriousness of my husband's need for a family. I didn't realize it fully until that moment either.

I gave him a fleeting smile, and he sighed. The smile washed away. How serious was this to get him so jumbled up?

"Book Boy…" I whispered softly, hoping to draw his attention, but his hand went through the air in a stern "No". I shut my lips immediately.

I sat there for ten more minutes listening to, "No, this can't happen" and "Impossible". The bad feeling in my chest began to grow heavy when he finally placed his phone down. Natsuo sat in my lap, quiet. He knew there was something wrong with his father.

His hand was clenched in a fist as he dropped the phone to the floor. He ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the wall. I frowned as I stroked the baby's hair.

"We're having unwanted company," he said to the wall. My heart began to sink into my stomach—was it his father? Had our past finally come up to catch us? Was our beautiful little family going to go under?

"Who?" I barely managed to ask. He pressed his palm against the wall and pushed himself from it. He staggered over to my side and sat next to me on the couch. He wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled his nose through my hair.

"Your brother and sister-in-law. Something has happened and they must come here for safety," he mumbled, despair in his voice. I began to tremble.

"What has happened?" I asked.

"Something."

"What?"

"I can't tell you," was his sad reply. I bit my lip so hard I drew blood. The metallic taste made my mouth go sour.

"You have to tell me!" I cried, my voice rising. "Sesshomaru, I'm your wife! You can't leave me out of the blue, especially about something as serious as this. Please…"

"I don't wish to worry you," he said, his eyes looking at the ground. He couldn't even look at me!

"You have to worry me, Book Boy. It's a pact we made ever since we said 'I do'," I began loudly before calming my voice down as the child in my lap began to cry. "Did he find them?" I asked softly. "Is he coming for us?"

His silence spoke every word. Tears burst out of my eyes and fell on little Natsuo's head. He joined me in my sorrow quickly. Sesshomaru began to rock the both of us back and forth in hopes to cease our crying. It helped Natsuo some, but it didn't help me. It didn't help me at all.

When I didn't calm down, he took the baby from me and calmed him. I curled up into a ball as he took his child and placed him down for a nap. He wouldn't nap at this time—Sesshomaru knew that. He just had to get the child away from his sorrowful mother.

"Don't be frightened," Sesshomaru whispered as he held me in his lap, cradling my head against his chest. He must've known that my heartbeat comforted me—but, even so, it didn't help the dread I felt. "Please, Kagome, please don't be frightened," he begged. Rarely did Book Boy ever beg. I could feel his hand on my back in his desperate attempt to calm me. "I shouldn't have dragged you into this. I'm sorry."

Book Boy didn't apologize either. This just frightened me more.

I began to hyperventilate and Book Boy stopped speaking. He sighed tiredly. "He will never take you away from me. That I will promise you fully and I'll keep to my promise. Remember that, my Kagome. You belong to me forever and always and I, in turn, belong to you."

"N-N-Now you've gone s-s-sen…" I hiccupped loudly. "Sentimental!" He sighed again and ran his fingers through my hair. He kissed my slippery cheeks, and smiled the best he could at this time.

"Perhaps. You've turned me soft," he said, trying to humor me. I nodded and he smiled as best I could.

"…When are they coming?" I asked, curious as to when I would see Inuyasha after so many years. Hell, I was dead scared, and, somehow, I couldn't feel but a little relieved. Inuyasha was coming, the one who I haven't spoken to in years and…

My face fell. Kikyo.

"Tonight. But, my dear, we will have to give them a surprise," he said simply as he kissed my palm before I caressed his cheek. "They do not know of our marriage, much less Natsuo. And I believe your sister does not know that we care for Shippou as his legal guardians."

"We should…speak to the kids," I mumbled, looking up at him with big eyes. What I meant was that Sesshomaru specifically should speak to them. His shoulders sagged.

"Me?"

"Please?" I asked. "Please, please, please?" When my normal 'please' would not work, I quivered my lip. "Pwease?"

"Together," was his simply demand. It was neither a question nor a statement—we would be confronting them together and that was final. I smiled at his authority and nodded.

"Together!" I chirped. He kissed my forehead.

"Even through times of tough, you still manage to be yourself. Always be cheerful for me." I knew he needed my cheerfulness, because Sesshomaru was way too pessimistic. He always assumed the worse and never the best. He was a cynical man at times, but I did my best to correct it. I couldn't correct it and I knew it. He would always, in that big manly heart of his, be a pessimist and I would remain an optimist. At least our children have an exchange of both kinds of parents.

"Okay," I told him softly. "I'll get the guestroom ready for…" I nearly growled as my sister's name appeared in my mind with flashing lights. "_Kikyo_ and Inuyasha."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at me and silently asked, 'You hate her so much?' and the look on my face said, 'Yes, my darling. I hate Kikyo with every fiber of my being. She's too perfect, and a complete and total monster.'

He nodded. "I'll let you off the hook this time, Kagome. Get the guest beds ready and I'll explain to the children." I smiled at him briefly before falling into my disgusting thoughts of Kikyo. He kissed the look off my face (also known as my 'Dastardly Sister Ruining My Life') and gave me the look that told me to stop degrading my sister in my mind. "Later we'll talk about this little loathing of yours."

"Little?" I asked incredulously as I pulled out of his arms. "Little? Sesshomaru, it's not _little_! My sister ruined my life bit by bit. She's a monster, a full-fledged monster!" He sighed and turned his back to me. I scowled at him.

"Kagome, settle down and tend to the guest rooms. Tonight, you and I will be having a long chat."

"…Does that include no clothes?"

"Well, yes. But afterwards we'll actually speak about this issue," he called as he walked into the other room. I couldn't help but smile. He said that so carelessly, so arrogantly, that I wanted to punch that little head of his in. But I loved that head, and his pretty little face, so I resisted my urges. I'd just wait for tonight and leave him deprived of some serious lovemaking.

You might wonder how, after so many years, I can still hate my sister so much. Well, scars don't heal easy, my friend. They're buried in this large heart of mine that I hoped to never resurface. They'll resurface when Kikyo arrives. They always resurface when I see Kikyo.

Have you ever had such a blinding hate for someone? Certainly you must have, or you are naïve of many things. Hate is a human trait everyone owns, but some don't register it as hate. They see it as a strong disliking. What's the difference between the two? Hate and dislike cover the same concept except one is supposed to be _lighter_. Well, when I think of Kikyo it isn't light. I can feel the pure hatred flowing through my veins, through my bones and flesh. It courses through me like a never-ending stream.

Kikyo tortured me while I was young. She would make faces at me, call me degrading names, and physically abused me. She scarred both my body and my mind. Her teasing made me spend nights crying in my room…more nights were spent feeling abandoned by my family. My mother is a lovely woman, and she made sure each child had their fill of attention, but most of her attention was headed towards my older siblings. Kikyo was continually yelled at by my mother because of her indecent behavior. Naraku was scolded for his pranks he pulled on his teachers. Souta and I were left on our own—I was the good student, studious and quiet, with good grades and a nice group of friends while Souta was the elementary school playboy (almost every fifth grade girl at the time was infatuated with him). But, with all the attention he received, he never once had a true friend. I helped him, and we grew a strong bond. I haven't talked to him in a long time. That reminds me to do so.

Well, back to the Kikyo bit. Kikyo's face was absolutely gorgeous—and, funny thing is we both look exactly alike except my eyes are prettier. Even though my eyes are quite unique, and others believed I was the more beautiful one, Kikyo had a stronger personality. I was a meek student back then—now I can say differently. I'm loud, a little brash at times, and…well…I guess I'm a bitch at times, but Sesshomaru loves me. And so do my little kids. So that's good.

…

…

…Where in the world was I? I keep getting so sidetracked. And this pillow will not fluff the right way!

Should I explain Kikyo more? I could go on for days; hours even, and never grow tired of complaining about her. You ask me if I think she's changed from the snobby little brat she was during high school? Answer: No. Not at all. She's not completely done ruining my whole life yet. She'll probably pull a stunt here and end up sleeping with my husband.

…

…

SHIT!

Sesshomaru would never do that, would he? Of course he couldn't! I'm his wife! He's my Book Boy! He assures so much…but what does he do on Wednesday nights, huh? He always gets home later than usual. Could he be…seeing another woman?

I gave a frustrated scream and tossed myself on the bed. I buried my head in the pillows and screamed again before hitting my fist on the oak wood of the backboard.

It was Kikyo getting me all jumbled like this! It was KIKYO who made me question my husband's faith to me! Why did she even have to come here in the first place? What a royal pain in the arse!

Arse. I love that word.

Somehow repeating the word 'Arse' in my brain fifty times made me calm down. What a funny little word! I absolutely love the British for their nifty speech inventions.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. I would have to calm down if Kikyo was coming. She'd expect my nervousness—but she didn't know the new Kagome! She didn't understand I wasn't the same little doormat I used to be! I prefer actual human contact now than reading all the time!

…That part isn't true. Reading is tons better than people. But who cares! I interact with plenty of people daily. So ha, Kikyo. I'll get you tonight!

"Stop having malicious thoughts of your sister and make that bed," Book Boy teased from the opening of the doorway.

"No," I snipped, sticking up my nose and looking away from him. He sighed.

"I'll do something special for you tonight if you behave properly with your sister," Book Boy coaxed, watching me. "I'll give you a special present."

I scowled. "No!"

"Darling, you'll be missing out on such a grand gift. Are you certain you wish to miss it like this? I know how much you enjoy gifts," he said, giving the impression of looking bored.

I frowned. "It's that good?" I asked. "Cross your heart and kiss your elbow?"

"Certainly," he replied. "And that's a lovely new phrase."

"Breakfast at Tiffany's," I mumbled, depressed that he hadn't caught my obscure movie reference. He smiled.

"I see. Audrey Hepburn, correct?"

"Yes."

Seeing the disappointment in my eyes, he sighed. "I'll watch it with you this weekend."

"Really?" I asked with an excited smile. He nodded.

"Now do you promise you'll behave when it comes to your sister staying at our home?" I sighed at this question.

"Cross my heart and kiss my elbow!" I drawled. He kissed my cheek.

"Good. Very good," he mumbled before kissing me again. Once he was finished attacking my lips, he told me he had to go to the grocery store to get a few things. He left and my happy face turned evil.

"Kikyo…after living with me you're going to wish you never been born!" I began to giggle gleeful, my laughter alike a maniacal cackle. Unbeknownst to me, two children were watching my every move with confused expressions.

"Mama's scary like that," Rin whispered. Shippou sighed.

"You get you used to it."

* * *

Thank you all for your suggestions! I have taken all of them into consideration so far, and I've enjoyed what I've been reading. A few I've just stared at...and they didn't make sense. I need plausible ideas, please! Many of you are repeating the same idea, and I think I'm going to use it. You'll just have to find out. **--Insert maniacal laughter here--**

Everyone who has given me an idea will be credited at the end of this story. So keep your ideas flowing!

...This Kagome makes me giggle. She's become very assertive since the beginning of the story.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

I waited anxiously, the feeling of fear creeping up my spine. I haven't seen either Inuyasha or Kikyo for ages. Would they be surprised I was with Sesshomaru? Would they be even more surprised that I had his kids?

"Why aren't they here yet?" I asked Sesshomaru as he stood tossing a salad for dinner. "I made them a perfectly good meal and now they're late!"

"Kagome, you have to settle down. You kissed your heel and crossed your heart…the phrase honestly doesn't matter, but the point does. You will behave." I pouted like a child as I held Natsuo to me.

"It was elbow, you know," I grumbled. He eyed me where I stood and I scooted myself out of the kitchen. Once I was out of hearing range I giggled evilly as I gave Natsuo an Eskimo kiss. "You, my baby, are going to witness Mama's evil doings tonight. Yes, your mother is a criminal at heart. Well, your parents are both criminals in ways. Good thing you can't understand this. My dear, I want you to know that I spiced up Kikyo's food. Kikyo will go down for sure, my sweet. Don't worry…and could you throw up on your Aunt tonight? It'd make a splendid evening." I stroked the baby's hair. Only Natsuo would know my evil plans. I would make Kikyo's life a living hell! Who cares if I kissed my elbow—sorry, dear husband, but pride here is at stake! You of all people should know about pride!

…I wonder…if he opposes me, should I throw the sex card in play? If I can't have my evil plans, he shouldn't be able to have his pleasure. Hmm…I'll use it for a back up attack.

Shippou walked into the room slowly after he peeked around the corner. I smiled at him. He was unbelievably nervous to see Kikyo again. I stroked his hair and pulled him to my side once he sat next to me on the couch.

"Are you worried, baby?" I asked him. Shippou nodded.

"I don't like Kikyo…" His lip quivered. "I don't want to go back with Kikyo! I want to stay with Mama and Papa." I kissed his forehead.

"Don't cry, Shippy. You'll stay with Papa and me." He was silent for a few moments as I rocked him back and forth. He cuddled into my side and I sighed.

"Mama?" He asked.

"Yes, my dear?"

"Why do you hate your sister so much?" I was silent for a few moments before a wicked grin spread my lips.

"Well, Shippou, it was because Kikyo tortured—" I felt a hand clamped over my mouth and I nearly screamed.

"Go find Rin and bring her down for dinner, Shippou," Book Boy ordered. "While I speak to your mother." Shippou nodded, climbed off the couch, and went to get his sister. I bit the flesh of Sesshomaru's palm when he wasn't looking.

"Ha!" I cried as he released my lips. "Freedom!"

"My, you certainly are feisty this evening," he mumbled, more to himself than to me as he inspected his hand to see my teeth marks. I grinned victoriously.

"Ha, ha!" I repeated. He sighed.

"Darling…love…wife…" he began, trying to charm me. Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to resist, I couldn't. He was just so damn handsome! And the way his eyes sparkled…I felt like a crow attracted to a shiny object. "For my sake, Kagome, behave. As much as I find you amusing in this state of mind, I need to uphold the respect of our household." Upon seeing my pout, he frowned. "That face will not work this time. You must grow up, even if only for tonight, and put up with your sister." I frowned after a moment as he stared at me, kneeling on the ground. His hands clasped mine, and he was waiting until I promised him fully.

"…Don't let Kikyo touch that special sauce I made for her. It has laxatives in it," I mumbled. He smiled against his wishes.

"You truly are a child at heart," he told me. When I was about to thank him, he bopped me on the head. "And you will become the death of me."

"You…y-you…" I stuttered, surprised at his action. "You just bopped me on the head like Little Bunny Foo-Foo!"

"What?" He asked. I grinned and held Natsuo and began to sing.

"Little Bunny Foo-Foo,

Hopping through the forest

Catching all the little mice

And bopping them on the head. See? It's a very simple song. And you just bopped me!" He gave an exasperated sigh.

"Remind me why I love you?" He asked.

"Because I'm darling, pretty, intelligent, pretty, funny, pretty…" He kissed my lips and eyed me.

"Buy a pregnancy test the next time you go out. Your behavior is clearly out of the ordinary. If we are pregnant again, I'd like to know." I watched him for a moment, seeing the eager light in his eyes. What if _we _were pregnant?

"Well, you wouldn't be the one getting pregnant, dear. It'd be me. So you really can't say we're getting pregnant, or that's just silly. I don't even know where a baby would pop out of you."

He sighed (he seems to do that a lot in my presence. I wonder why?). "I helped you get pregnant, so we both are pregnant. You are just the one holding the child in your womb," he explained after I giggled. "You just wanted to hear me explain, didn't you?"

"And how did we get pregnant, Sesshou? Could you explain that to me also?" He eyed me before an evil glint returned.

"I can't explain now…but perhaps later in the evening I can refresh your memory," he whispered huskily, using that deep sexy voice of his. I fell prey to that voice every time. It was a damn sexy voice here, people! It just made me shiver.

"You used the sexy voice," I mumbled as he kissed my jaw, making me throw back my head so he could have more access to my neck. "That's against the rules!"

He stopped kissing my neck and smirked. "So you say."

I was about to attack him with a kiss when the doorbell rang. I cringed at the sound as I stood up and dusted off my jeans. Sesshomaru kissed my forehead and gave me a look. It was the 'you better behave or else' look.

I pouted as I held Natsuo to my hip. I giggled evilly as I stroked his hair.

"I might've told Papa about the sauce, but she's in for a surprise!" I was about to laugh when I heard Sesshomaru's greeting. It was a very Sesshomaru greeting, "No one followed you?"

I leaned against the wall before getting my wits together. I had to pop out now or it would be too late to shock them! I want to see their mouths fall! So, Kikyo, you think you're interested in my husband? Think again!

I walked out of my hiding spot and stood next to Sesshomaru. He glanced at me with a warning glare, and I smiled.

When Kikyo shut the door, I was surprised at what she looked like. She was so incredibly thin! And it wasn't the type of thin that you should be proud of—had she been starving herself these past few years?

"Kagome?" Kikyo asked, her cool voice shocked. Inuyasha knocked his head on Kikyo's hand after he took off his shoes.

"Kagome?" He asked. I smiled, nodded, and gave myself time to get a good look at Inuyasha. He had grown small stubble of a beard. That was about the only thing that was different about his appearance. His voice was still gruff, his hair rough, and his eyes golden. He looked a little wearier, but otherwise remained the same boyish Inuyasha I dated in college.

"My wife," Sesshomaru announced. "And my son, Natsuo. Rin and Shippou should be down any time." Kikyo's dark brown eyes flashed in hurt before she looked over Sesshomaru and the baby in my arms. She approached me soundlessly, and her head fell into the light. Her black hair lost its shiny luster.

"The baby looks like the both of you…" She whispered, a smile on her lips. What was going on here? Kikyo was being civil! What in God's name was she thinking? She's supposed to be the devil, Satan himself!

Apparently my thoughts showed on my face, because Sesshomaru automatically showed them to the kitchen and offered them wine. I followed aimlessly, and when I was about to take a glass Book Boy shook his head.

"I truly do wonder if you are pregnant. If you are no alcohol," he said, giving my arm a soothing rub. I pouted and looked at the dark purple liquid in his glass. Damn men. They only help a woman get pregnant. They don't have to face the extra weight, and no alcohol consumption!

"If _we _are pregnant, I'm going to make the next nine months of your life a living hell, buddy," I told him, making him frown slightly. I smiled smugly at my threat and placed Natsuo in his high chair. Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow and I knew he was thinking I was just acting feisty. But I'm not! I WILL make his life a living hell!

"Kagome…you look beautiful," Inuyasha complimented, eyeing my curves. I felt the need to glare, but my sugary side got the best of me.

"You don't have to say that, Inuyasha. Seems like you've been well! You too, Kikyo! You look absolutely beautiful," I lied. Inuyasha, you bastard, stop looking at me like that! You lost out on me many years ago buddy! I'm a taken, married woman with three children. Hands. Off!

"When did you have Natsuo?" Kikyo asked, and I could tell she was trying her best to keep it together. O, yes, Kikyo, break apart. Be the cruel person you always are! No need for polite chitchat—I know you. I know you all too well!

"He's about a year and a half. I had him three months after we came to the United States. He looks exactly like Book Boy, don't you think?" I asked. Book Boy placed his forehead in his hands as I let my nickname slip. I blushed slightly and smiled at Sesshomaru, who in turn sighed. He could always act irritated at my nickname for him, but I knew he secretly enjoyed it. That nickname was what brought us closer together. It was our special bond.

Rin and Shippou ran into the kitchen giggling and laughing. Shippou stopped at the sight of Kikyo and froze. The look on Kikyo's face was priceless: did she know I kept Shippou? Did she think he was still with our mother who was growing older by the day?

"Shippou…" Kikyo whispered, holding out her arms. Shippou stayed in place, his emerald eyes wide. He ran to my arms quickly, and I held him as he buried his head in my breast. I stroked his orange hair softly. "Why don't you want to see Mom?" Kikyo asked. Sesshomaru could see the anger in my eyes, as I stood up, furious.

"Kikyo, how could you think, for one second, that this boy thinks you are still his mother?" I asked. "You know nothing about motherhood! You abandoned Shippou and I was left with the slack! I love this boy with all my being! For that he calls me his mother and turns away from you!" Kikyo scowled at me, but I knew she understood where the truth laid. Sesshomaru massaged his forehead.

"Kagome…" He began. "Behave." My eyes flamed as I shook my head, holding the little boy closer.

"No! I won't! Book Boy, why are you trying to make me suffer this? This is my house! I don't want her in MY house!" I cried. "She killed my childhood, and she killed the little boy in my arms. We're both finding happiness and now—" I didn't know I was crying. I first felt Shippou's hand on my cheek trying to wipe away my tears. I told myself I wasn't going to cry! I told myself I wasn't going to let Kikyo have her goddamn way! "I'm not hungry anymore," I whispered before walking out of the room, Shippou in my arms. He held onto me as I went to my room and shut the door.

I heard a little knock after it was shut and Rin popped into the room. She was utterly confused, but her eyes were teary too. She cried whenever I cried.

"My darlings…" I whispered as they hugged my tightly. "I am sorry you had to see that."

"Mama, why don't you like Kikyo?" Rin asked softly. I stroked her hair and kissed her cheek.

"We're sisters. When we were younger Kikyo was not nice to Mama. It hurt Mama. And she's hurt Shippou also," I burst into tears all over again as my pain flashed through my eyes. Damn you, Kikyo! Why make me remember my past!

Book Boy didn't come after me and I thought he was taken by Kikyo's personality and charm. The children stayed with me for twenty minutes, and it made me cry more that Book Boy didn't come to comfort. He was my husband! He should be comforting me too!

I heard the rumbling tummies beside me and sighed, "You two go eat. I'll be fine and you're hungry."

"But Mama…" I smiled at them and wiped away their tears.

"No, go eat, sweethearts. You've done all you could for Mama, and Mama's happy you did. Now go. You need to get something in your tummies," I said. I debated on whether asking them to see if Kikyo took Natsuo (her key interest in the baby made me cautious), but I decided against it as they left my bedroom. I wrapped my arms around my knees and fell backwards on the bed in a fetal position. I let my thoughts wander.

Stupid Book Boy. He didn't even come to see if I was all right. Cares about his image more than his own wife.

…

Does he like Kikyo better, who only cares about her image?

She looked like she hadn't been eating. Am I the more beautiful one now? Am I?

…Not like I'd want to be the more beautiful one, anyway. I saw the way Inuyasha looked at me before he was told I was Sesshomaru's wife. O, Inuyasha, you fool. I am a woman desired by many.

…Not really.

I leaned up as the door opened, allowing a ruffled Book Boy to enter. I scowled at him and looked away.

"You're finally here now, huh?" I grumbled, glaring at him. "Bet you were having a blast with Satan down there in hell, right?" He approached me soundlessly and handed me a box.

"Go into the bathroom and come out when the test is finished. Now," he ordered. I cocked my head in confusion. Had he gone out just for a pregnancy test?

I took it, showing my annoyance, and stomped into the bathroom. I took the test quickly and waited the minutes I had to. I glanced into the bedroom to see Sesshomaru sitting on the bed, tapping his foot on the wood of the floor. Nervousness was flying off him in waves.

"Why are you making me do this?" I irritably asked. "The last time I found out I was having morning sickness."

"I need to know," he told me. "I apologize for taking so long getting it." I gave him a look that said I was absolutely pissed off. He sighed at my look. "Kagome, love…"

"Don't use that card on me, buddy," I warned him. "You say 'behave, behave' but you know that I can't! Not when it comes to Kikyo!"

"Darling," he approached me calmly, his eyes sparkling with apology. I looked away and crossed my arms as he entered the bathroom. "You realize how hard it is for me to endure my younger half-brother? It's pure hell. But I can handle it."

"I'm not you," I told him defiantly. "And I can't handle Kikyo!" I cried, hoping he'd see my point. Tears coursed down my cheeks. "You don't have the emotional scars like I do! Kikyo made fun of my body, my grades, and my friends! She kicked, pulled, and punched me when we were in high school!" Sesshomaru took me in his arms, and I tried to fight him until the comfort he gave was too appealing. I gave up and fell limp and tired in his arms.

He stroked my hair and kept my close as we held each other. It was only moments later did he let go of me and looked at the pregnancy test.

"What does the pink strip mean?" He asked. My eyes widened as I took the box from his grip. He trembled for a moment before pulling me in his arms and laughed. He covered my face with kisses of all kinds as I laughed with him. "We're pregnant!"

"Is it normal not to have morning sickness?" He shrugged before kissing me so deeply and passionately I thought I might fall out of his arms if he let go.

"That's why you've been such a spitfire lately. You're pregnant," he stroked my cheek lovingly and the excitement he felt was clearly shown. He kissed me again. "We're having another child."

"Mm hmm," I mumbled, a smile on my lips. "That's why I've been so malicious lately…but most of it is because of Kikyo."

"You'll still have to stand her," Sesshomaru told me. "And I don't want you harming her physically. You can be as stingy as you want as long as you don't hurt the child."

I grinned. My, my, Sesshomaru is quite a pushover when it comes to pregnancies. Wait…if I think correctly he never had to experience me taking the test and seeing if it turned out positive or negative. He wasn't the first one to know.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes. I'll drive you everywhere; I'll get whatever you need!" He kissed me again. "You, woman, are so darling. I love you with every part of my soul."

"Takes a pregnancy to make you so happy, huh?" My stomach growled as he took me in his arms, lifting me from the ground. He held my bridal style as he nuzzled my neck. "I'm hungry. Can we go downstairs now?"

"Of course," he assured. I wondered now, being pregnant, if Book Boy would treat me like a princess. He did last time, but that was only for a few months. Do I get all nine months being pampered?

…YES!

Inuyasha and Kikyo were in the same spot at the table before, their dinner eaten. I smiled as Kikyo looked at me enviously.

"Are you finished crying?" Kikyo asked, and I distinctly heard the nastiness in her voice. I nodded and kissed Sesshomaru on the cheek. (So you're coming out of your shell, Kikyo, huh?)

"What happened?" Inuyasha asked, a look of surprise on his face. Had he ever seen his brother smile before?

…Guess that's a no.

"My Kagome is pregnant," Book Boy announced as he kissed my cheek and sat me on the table. I grinned at him and then the others.

"Yep! But, Sess, don't get too excited," I patted his hand comfortingly. "Something could go wrong. You have to always remember that."

"We'll wait until that day happens," he told me, giving me an affectionate pat on the head. Natsuo was sitting in Inuyasha's lap. He seemed to be enjoying himself as he tugged on Inuyasha's shirt for attention. Inuyasha grinned at the child as Natsuo cried with joy.

"That's your Uncle Yasha, baby," I told Natsuo as I took a bite of some steamed rice. Natsuo looked at me with big eyes. "Say 'hi' to Uncle Yasha and I'll let you try some."

Natsuo understood and waved at Inuyasha. He squealed a loud, "Yasha!" before looking back at me. I smiled at the babe as he watched me. "Mama?" He asked. I kissed his cheek as Inuyasha put him in my lap.

"Very good, pet. Now open up and I'll let you have some," I said, taking a spoon to get a little spoonful of the curry I had made. I looked at Natsuo, brought the spoon to his mouth, and he took it with a happy smile. "Hopefully your little brother or sister will be as happy as you, darling."

"How many brats do you want to have?" Inuyasha asked as Sesshomaru took a seat next to me. I shrugged.

"A few more probably since Sess likes being a father so much. And though Rin and Shippou are out babies too, Natsuo is only our real blood child. So I suppose a few more are in order," I told him, giving Natsuo another little taste. He enjoyed it and smiled.

"I want you both to be careful around Kagome," Sesshomaru told them honestly. Inuyasha gave him a look that said, "What you talking about, Sesshomaru?"

"Why?" Kikyo asked. Sesshomaru looked at me and sighed.

"Kagome is always very malicious during her pregnancy. I believe it the surging hormones in her body, but it might always be something else. She's a hassle sometimes and you need to be patient. Especially when she's pregnant," he warned as I glared at him. He smirked back. "The truth," he told me with a simple shrug.

"If you get too put out with my maliciousness during my pregnancies, maybe you should keep to yourself in bed, huh?" He narrowed his eyes at me and I narrowed them back. We stared at each other for a moment before Natsuo began to fidget, calling out "Papa!" to his father.

Sesshomaru took him into his lap before continuing our staring contest. I eventually won when I groaned, "Honey, my stomach hurts." His eyes flashed with worry and he looked from me to my stomach. I knew he was about to fawn over me when I stuck the spoon in my mouth, full of food, and giggled.

"I win," I said, swallowing my food and giving him a look of superiority. He growled.

"Does this happen when you get married?" Inuyasha asked with a gruff chuckle. "If it is, I'm not sure if I ever want to get married."

"Aren't you both married?" I asked, confused. Inuyasha looked at Kikyo who blushed before shaking his head.

"No! Kags, what gave you that idea? We aren't even dating," Inuyasha said as he scratched his head awkwardly. "After what we did to you, I felt pretty bad and we split up. But we're friends—we both had to escape my father so Sess here helped smuggle us out of the country. We put together our salaries and share an apartment as roommates…or we did until now."

"O Jesus…" I mumbled, looking at Sesshomaru. "Did you know about this?" Sesshomaru shook his head as Inuyasha smiled.

"Figures you both would jump to conclusions," Inuyasha mused, placing a hand on my head. "You always jumped to conclusions, you know? When we were dating you always accused me of eating all of the ice cream out of your freezer." I blushed at the memory and nodded.

"I did, didn't I?" I asked, laughing as I looked at Sesshomaru. His fist clenched in his lap as Inuyasha launched into another fond memory.

"Why don't you both check out the room?" Sesshomaru interrupted. "Seeing as we thought you were together, we only have one guest bedroom. I suppose Inuyasha can sleep on the couch." Inuyasha nodded as he stood up.

"Do you need any help with dishes?" Kikyo asked Sesshomaru, making me frown. He shook his head.

"Kagome and I have that settled. There are bathrooms up and downstairs if you need them," Book Boy informed, his voice low and soft. Inuyasha bent down and kissed my cheek.

"I'm glad I get to see you again, Kags. Though you're with ice bucket here, it's good talking to you again. I thought you were going to give me the cold shoulder if I ever met you again," Inuyasha said. I looked at Sesshomaru and could see the jealousy burning in his eyes.

"People change, and it looks like you've done a lot of growing up, Yasha. I have no more reason to be angered with you—I have my Sess now. You did hurt me, but I realized I can't keep looking back on that." Kikyo glared at me, and asked silently, "What about forgiving me then too, huh?" I glared back. No—Inuyasha was the only exception. He was at least being civil. Even if he was still rough, gruff, and boyish looking, he had matured since the last time I saw him so many long years ago. Kikyo still behaved the same way.

When they departed the kitchen, Sesshomaru approached me with the baby in his arms. I looked up at him with a pleasant smile.

"Hiyya, my huge huggable husband of mine," I greeted as I wrapped my arms around his waist and snuggled my cheek into his stomach.

"He kissed you," he stated, clearly pissed off. I looked up at him and smiled.

"Darling, we're friends and will become nothing more. You know that. The one I want you to stay away from is Kikyo. She's a conniving little—" Sesshomaru placed a finger on my lips to calm me and make me quiet. It was effective.

"Let us both not question our faith to one another. Why should I turn my attention to your sister when it is you, my dear, who carry my second child?" His fingers moved from my lips to my cheek, stroking the soft skin. I smiled and leaned into his touch.

"Okay. I won't question…now, shall we do the dishes once I put Natsuo in his room to go to bed?" The child pouted and shook his head.

"No! No bedtime," the child pouted as Sesshomaru kissed his temple.

"Bedtime," Book Boy said sternly. "No arguing."

"No!" The child cried, making me sigh and shake my head.

"Natsuo, it's bedtime. You're past it, actually," I told him. He started to struggle against his father until Sesshomaru shook his head.

"No," he said even more sternly. "Natsuo, you'll go to bed this instant. Your tantrums won't make any difference." The child continued to cry and fuss until Sesshomaru took him upstairs for bed. I sighed. That little boy was getting more temperamental by the day.

Was it because of me? Probably. But almost every toddler at nearly two years becomes furious. I heard it was called the terrible twos. I understand the phrase now.

Speaking of Natsuo's birthday, it was coming up soon, in a few months. Hmm…I'll have to remind myself in a few months to get him some new toys.

I heard crying upstairs and I knew Book Boy would get Natsuo settled down. He had that certain fatherly authority over Natsuo I never seemed to master. He could make the boy shut up and behave with a snap of his fingers. Whatever he's doing (either scaring the shit out of his children or bribery) I want to get in on his secret.

While I finished placing most of the dishes in the dishwasher (these things are amazing! You put almost every plate in there and you barely have any dishes left over to do! I love my dishwasher. It might rival my love for Sesshomaru) I heard the soft padding of feet downstairs. Thinking it was Book Boy I turned around. Instead it was Inuyasha.

"Hey, are you sure you don't need any help?" He asked. I shook my head as I rinsed off a dish.

"Nope. I'm fine," I said with a smile. "When Sesshomaru comes down from putting the kids to bed I'll have him get out blankets for the couch." Inuyasha nodded and asked for a glass. I motioned for a cabinet, which he opened to get a glass to fill with water.

"Kagome…" He began. I looked at him.

"Yeah?"

"Do you really forgive me?" He asked. I nodded and smiled.

"Uh huh. Now what's your real question since I know that one's just a way to beat around the bush?" I asked without turning to look at him. He sighed and sipped his water.

"Why…why are you with my half-brother anyway? How did you two meet?" I smiled as I stopped my dishes. I turned around slowly to him and moved my bangs out of my eyes with wet, soapy hands.

"Well…it was unexpected. Sess had been undercover to watch me by your father. We met at the library and began meeting there regularly. Before long we fell in love with each other," I told him. "But Sess never told me his name for both of our safety and I called him Book Boy until I became pregnant. I found out he was using me for Kikyo through my brother, and we split up for a while until he came to apologize. He found out I was pregnant then, and after we forgave each other he proposed we move to America and get married. I agreed and we left," I ended, smiling. "That's our story in a nutshell."

"Whoa…never thought you'd end up with my ass hole of a brother," Inuyasha said, taking a seat at the table. I shrugged.

"I thought about you when I first saw him. You really do look alike…" I giggled. "But sorry, Yash, I find Sesshomaru more handsome." Inuyasha snorted.

"You don't know how good you had it, bitch!" He joked. I giggled more before turning completely serious.

"You can't use that language in this house, I hope you know. I have three young children and I don't want you contaminating their minds. I'm surprised Shippou is still clean after spending so much time with you," I said simply. He smiled.

"I'll watch it, I'll watch it…say, whatever happened to Sango?"

"She works for Miroku. I used to too until we left. I now work at a library. Anyways, they're doing fine. Sango came to see Natsuo when he was born," I said, hoping my explanation was good enough. He nodded in response.

"…He still the most perverted lecher you've ever met in your whole goddamn life?" He asked.

"Inuyasha!" I scolded. He held up his hands and shook his head.

"Sorry. Kags. I'll watch it more."

"Every time you curse, you owe me a dollar," I told him. He shook my threat off.

"So?" He asked. I nodded.

"Yep. I think he's gotten better, though. Well…I suppose that's just from my point of view," I said, smiling as I finished another dish. I felt arms around my waist and a head on my shoulder. A kiss was placed on my neck.

"I still have your present," Sesshomaru told me. "Though you haven't exactly behaved, you're pregnant. You deserve it." I patted his head.

"Get some blankets and pillows out for Yasha here. Then we'll spend some time together chatting before going to bed where you'll praise me for being the most beautiful woman in the world and that if you ever let me go your life would be nothing. Good?" He chuckled softly as he let go of me.

"Sounds like every other night," he teased. "Just with a few extra persons." I kicked him as best I could, trying to make him get the blankets. He got the message and motioned Inuyasha to follow.

When they came back I was finished with my dishes. I did a little dance in victory at getting them finished before starting the dishwasher. I love this dishwasher. Have I ever mentioned that?

I started to the living room where Inuyasha would be sleeping in on the couch.

"…This is serious, Sesshomaru. I swear it was Bankotsu I saw outside the place Kikyo and I shared in New York. Father is after us and I know it," Inuyasha said in a hush voice.

"Are you positive?"

"Yes. But that's not the only problem. We're endangering your home, Sesshomaru. You have a pregnant wife and kids. We can't—"

"No," Sesshomaru said sternly. "We'll have to face him sooner or later. It was foolish of me to think he wouldn't try to find us."

"What if he does something to Kagome? I won't let anything bad happen to her or Kikyo. Kikyo means the world to me, and seeing Kagome again she also means the world to me. Sesshomaru, we can't just wait for Father to find us!"

"You can run if you wish, but I won't move my wife or my children from this house. I've made this place their permanent home. Kagome's happy with it, Rin and Shippou are happy with it and so am I," Sesshomaru said, sitting on the couch next to Inuyasha. I hid farther in the shadows of my hiding spot.

"This is a more difficult decision for you than me, huh?" Inuyasha asked. They both were silent for a few moments. "Should we stay or go?"

"Stay," Sesshomaru commanded softly, so soft that I could barely hear. "When he finds us, you'll have to present your case to Father. If we can gather the money from Kikyo's loans, perhaps it will ease the tension between us…"

"I don't think it will. We both ran away from Dad. He ought to be furious with us! I mean especially with you! You were going to take over the business when he retired," Inuyasha said, leaning back on the sofa. I couldn't see their faces—I could only hear their voices and see their backs.

"I'm a horrible son…" Sesshomaru said. "But if I stayed that also meant endangering Kagome. You understand how many people know of my name there."

"Yeah…that's why I left with Kikyo, especially cause Dad was after her," Inuyasha said. They fell into another lapse of silence.

"Have you ever thought it might have not been Bankotsu?" Sesshomaru asked. Inuyasha shook his head.

"No, it was definitely him, brother. There was no doubt about it. I have friends inhabiting the apartment, so they'll keep watch out."

"Inuyasha…I believe it in our best interest to put aside our brotherly feud. Kagome's pregnant and feisty…she plans on sabotaging Kikyo," Sesshomaru said. I nearly snorted. Sabotaging her? I plan to make her life a living hell!

"There is a certain tension in the air between those two. And when Kagome yelled at her earlier…I was certain there would be a bitch fight," Inuyasha chuckled. My eye twitched. You, Inuyasha, all ready owe my three dollars!

"I suppose. But Kagome truly loathes Kikyo with all of her being. She cried to me earlier about how Kikyo mentally scarred her as children. She still hasn't recovered," he said, smiling fondly. "She's still a child at heart."

"Say that and it makes me think you're a pedophile," Inuyasha laughed again. "You know…" He began after he calmed himself. "It's nice talking to you again like when we were young. You remember that?"

"Yes, I do," Sesshomaru whispered. Another silence filled the room before Sesshomaru stood up. "Kagome, get out around the corner this instant!" he demanded, turning around to glare at me. I smiled and popped out of the corner. He was pissed at me for intruding on their little brotherly moment.

"Why…erm…hello there, darlings. How are you fairing this evening?" I asked, laughing nervously. I leaned my back against the wall and gave them the biggest puppy eyes I could muster. They both gave me a look.

"What have I told you about eavesdropping?" Book Boy hissed, eyeing me as he strode over to where I stood. He towered over me with his tall, lean frame. I felt myself shrink at the scary look on his face.

"Umm…never do it?" I squeaked. His face softened and he sighed.

"I let you get away with too much," he mumbled. "Hell, I'd let you get away with murder."

"I can murder Kikyo then?" I asked hopefully.

"No!" He barked, moving away from towering me. He sighed as he looked at the ceiling as his voice hushed. "Kagome…this night has been tedious. Let's just go to bed."

"…Okay…" I squeaked again, surprised at the anger he displayed earlier with me. I looked at Inuyasha.

"It's okay, Kags. Sesshomaru just doesn't like people seeing that we actually give a shit about each other," he explained, crossing his arms as he lay down on the couch. I crossed my arms as Sesshomaru remained in his position.

"Four dollars buddy! Four dollars!" He frowned before grumbling something. I distinctively heard "…stupid little…brother's pregnant bitch…" I pointed at him and raised an eyebrow calmly. "Five dollars," I said with a grin.

Book Boy sighed, picked me up by my waist, and threw me over his shoulder. I waved at Inuyasha.

"I'll be waiting for my American Lincoln in the morning, Yasha!" And then we departed, letting Inuyasha turn the lights off and do as he pleased.

He carried me into our room and threw me on the bed. I giggled as my body bounced on the cushiony mattress. He crawled over me possessively and looked at me straight in the eyes.

"You're a handful," he told me sternly as he kissed my chin. "…But you're my handful."

"And don't you forget it!" I said cheerfully before moaning at the lips on my neck. He traced kisses along my throat and to the collar of my dress. He smirked as he looked at me.

"You are mine to do as I please," he growled playfully as he ran his hand up my dress, along my thigh. I leaned up on my elbows defiantly and looked into his eyes.

"Said who?" I asked.

"Said me. You have been a large pain today and I caught you eavesdropping on my conversation. You ought to be punished," he huskily told me, running his lips along my neck teasingly. He began to hike up my dress before pulling it off over my head.

"Ow!" I mumbled before he began kissing my chest. I stopped him for a moment. "I have been a pest today…but will I still get my present?"

"Tomorrow," he said, kissing my lips passionately. I replied with my own passion and wrapped my arms around his neck as he tried to unclasp my bra.

This man certainly was a cad into getting sex out of me! What a clever mind he has—I should praise him for it tomorrow before asking for my present, whatever it might be.

But more importantly what tomorrow will bring: Ultimate Kikyo Sabotage!

* * *

Another chapter done! Well, I'm sorry to all you Yasha haters. I made him a good guy in this one. Today I've been reading a lot of fanfiction just bashing the poor man: I decided to make him nice. I made Naraku nicer, I'll make Yasha nicer too. It'll be a little sister/older brother bond. And I really don't hate Kikyo, if this mistakes you. She's not too bad of a character and I respect her for taking Inuyasha away from Kagome. For that fact it just gives Kagome another reason to side with our big, loveable taiyoukai: Lord Fluff. 

More review, more reviews! I love hearing what you have to say! Makes me happy and forget my maniacal laughter in the previous chapter.

I want to point something out that I only have had one reviewer point out: I mix up Natsuo's age in the first chapter. Once I posted it up, I found that! Only one reviewer so far has noticed and I'm surprised! To end confusion, Natsuo is a toddler so...how about one and half. Somewhere around that age. He's going to turn two soon. Does that help?

I love you all! Review, review! _--bats eyelashes and waves like a queen-- _I love you all!

**There are still cookies for the ones who help me battle the evil mistakes monster! Get one before they all run out (they're chocolate too...or if you don't like chocolate I have vanilla and peanut butter also!)  
**

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

I was now currently in a tad complex position: Book Boy was glaring at me from where we sat in the E.R room while Inuyasha was pacing on the carpet. The children were at home with the teenage babysitter that lived across the street. How did we end up here, in this hospital? Well…

…It's a mighty long story. So I'll begin to show I am purely innocent, and that Book Boy is undeniably wrong to feel bad for my evil sister.

_This morning was pleasant. I woke up in Book Boy's arms, naked and snug, warm and happy. The mornings after sex were always the greatest. I usually got the best sleep after having such a passionately tiring display of love._

"_Morning," I cooed once golden eyes opened slowly to look at me. I woke before Sesshomaru this day, which was slightly disturbing. Was my body being pumped up for the inevitable (which you do not yet know)? I couldn't tell at this point when he smiled and leaned the small reach down to my lips. His lips were velvety soft, and the morning just seemed too good to be true. Too, too good._

"_Good morning," he mumbled, raking his fingers through his long silver hair as he leaned up. I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist and forced him back down into the bed. It was still remotely early when I glanced at the clock—7:30 A.M. We still had thirty minutes until Natsuo woke up._

_He chuckled as he kissed my forehead and wrapped the blanket around us to keep away the cool air that threatened to bite our skin. I was so content at that moment in his arms as he whispered his love for me in my ear. It made me just want to hug, kiss, and marry him all over again._

"_Time?" He asked._

"_Early," I replied. "Thirty minutes until Natsuo wakes."_

"_Seven thirty then," he mumbled. We both knew our toddler's schedule like the back of our hand. We were the ones who tended to him every morning, after all._

_I ran my fingers over the skin of his arms, feeling the taunt muscles underneath his skin. I liked how Book Boy was physically fit, but not overly buff. He didn't have those massive muscles you see men flexing on TV. I found his body perfect, from his head to his toes (though he does have this weird brown dot on the middle of one toe on his left foot. He said he was going to see a doctor to see if he could remove it, but I told him to keep it. It obviously wasn't dangerous and I kind of liked it. It made his foot look like an Indian woman). I accepted every part of Sesshomaru and he, in turn, accepted every part of me (good and bad)._

_We lay entangled in each other's limbs for minutes until we realized we had free time to ourselves before Natsuo would wake up. So, seeing that logic, we both hopped out of bed and dressed ourselves. But once that logic ran out we found ourselves tired again and we both fell back into bed fully dressed and ready for the morning._

"_Why'd we get up?" He asked softly, running his nose through my hair._

"_We thought we could beat Natsuo…then we remembered that we both are human and need rest," I explained, frowning as I did so. Sesshomaru kissed my forehead before placing his head at the crook of my neck to rest. _

"_I see…Kagome, I believe we may be able to use Inuyasha and Kikyo to our advantage," he began as I stroked his hair. _

"_How?" I asked._

"_They are living in our home with free board and food. They should at least be able to handle a toddler on weekend mornings..." he drawled, that I was beginning to get his drift. I grinned and planted a nice long kiss on his lips._

"_My husband the mastermind," I giggled softly as I kissed him again. "Your mind works wonders I hope you know?"_

"_It's a good use for something," he said as he leaned up. I was about to pull him down and smother him at that moment with kisses for his brilliant idea, but a cry of a loud, "MAMA!" interrupted me._

"_Our son calls," I sighed with a playful grin as I pushed some loose strands behind his ear. I was about to kiss him again before I was overcome with a sickening feeling in my stomach. "Get Natsuo while I vomit, please?" Book Boy was alarmed for a moment as I dashed off towards our bathroom conveniently off to the side of our bedroom. Once inside, I threw myself at the toilet bowl and let out whatever had been in my stomach from the night before. _

_I hate vomiting. The whole motion was absolutely disgusting. The thought of me throwing up nearly every morning and afternoon for a few more weeks to come made me even more nauseous than I all ready was and wanted to make me throw up even more. I felt uncomfortable at the toilet bowl, and when I finished I made a gagging noise. My mouth burned with a taste that made my flesh crawl. I once heard that when you throw up stomach acid comes with it and makes that sour ache in your mouth and throat. _

…_Now thinking about that makes me want to throw up again, but this time with much more vigor._

_I dabbed my mouth free of saliva and any bile with toilet paper before flushing the contents of my stomach down the drains. My nose wrinkled in disgust as it went, and I let my thoughts be voiced aloud._

"_Ew," I mumbled, standing up to wash my mouth out with a large cup of mouthwash. I never noticed my husband slip into the bathroom with our son in his arms as I scrubbed and scrubbed my mouth down._

"_Are you sick?" He asked, with golden eyes worried as I looked at his face through the mirror. When he asked that I was all ready gurgling mouthwash, so to answer meant to spit it out. "If you are perhaps we should see a doctor, Kagome."_

_When I finished, I looked at him and smiled at the genuinely concerned look on his face. "If we saw a doctor they'd just tell me what we all ready know: I'm pregnant. Haven't you heard of morning sickness, Book Boy?" His face was puzzled for a moment before his lips made an 'O' before his head dropped a bit. "It's okay, darling. You were never present for much of my morning sickness stage."_

_He placed his hand on my head and smiled before saying, "I know. Today we schedule an appointment with the doctor." I nodded and placed a kiss on his cheek before doing the same to my little boy. _

"_O, my little bundle of joy, you get to be an older brother," I cooed to Natsuo, who only ignored me to play with his father's silver hair. I have come to observe that children are attracted to shiny objects: since Sesshomaru's hair was that silver (and oddly shiny) it was Natsuo's favorite toy. Whenever Book Boy complains about the tugging little hands I tell him he's lucky. Better a hand full of hair that only hurts for a few moments than the yanking of a nice earring, nearly ripping your ear lobe of your head._

"_Daddy," the little boy called. Sesshomaru looked down at him and raised an eyebrow._

"_Yes, Natsuo?" _

"_Hi," he giggled and motioned for Sesshomaru to put him down on the ground to walk. He could walk without Mama helping him, though he still loved to be held. He crawls when he needs to, but this little speed demon has been running around everywhere lately. It felt only a few days ago I was helping him walk with my hands. If you really want to know, yesterday was a tame day for Natsuo. Today, however, I knew this little spitfire would need a good walking outside._

_Sesshomaru patted his little head in response to Natsuo's greeting and smiled down at him. The boy squealed at the motion and dashed out of the bathroom. At that moment I knew the entire house would be awake in a matter of minutes. _

_Book Boy followed after giving me a supportive smile. It seemed to say, "It's all right, Kagome. This sickness is just a little sacrifice to the child we're going to have. I'll be with you all the way." (Or, this is how I interpreted his look). Then he left to get his rambunctious son some breakfast._

_I sighed at that moment as I capped my mouthwash and placed it back into the cabinet. When I looked back into the mirror I examined myself. I looked like Kagome, plain and simple. _

_I pouted my lips before making a few other faces in the mirror. I then looked down at my stomach and poked where I assumed a baby would be growing. Was I excited to become a mother once again? Yes, I was. I still felt the same thrill like I felt when I carried Natsuo. But this time I could only wish I could prevent the baby weight I'd have to lose after she or he is born._

…_I hope it's a girl. I want my own baby girl to put in frilly pink outfits. I want to spoil her silly and buy her pink bows, stuff animals, and ballerina tutu's. I want a complete girly girl to kiss, hug, and snuggle._

_When I walked into the kitchen I was met with the scene of Inuyasha dragging his slipper-clad feet to a chair. His hair was a mess and his eyes were fogged. _

"_You are more like a teenager than an adult," I told him with a shake of the head when he plopped down into a chair and sprawled himself on the table. _

"_It's not my fault," he grumbled. "Your devil child came and jumped on my face." I glanced at Natsuo, who was now presently pulling on his father's pants leg for food. I bent down to Natsuo and grinned._

"_Hello, baby. How are you this morning?" I asked. He looked at me and mumbled something. "Good, baby. Now do you want to be put in your chair or do you want to sit with Mama today?" He was indecisive for a moment before he chose his chair. I kissed his cheek and placed him in his destination._

"_Hey!" I cried as I came nearer Inuyasha. "You're wearing my slippers!"_

"_Kagsy…" he whined, moaning as he snuggled into the crook of his arm. "I'm tired…" I was about to smack him over the head, but I thought against it. I looked at Book Boy whom only shrugged as he placed cut up fruit on a little plate in front of Natsuo with one of those baby forks (my favorite, actually, because it had a cow on it)._

"_Kagome…" Book Boy began after he placed a cup of coffee in front of me. "I'm going to take Inuyasha today and give him a tour of the city. Do you plan on taking Natsuo to the library today or do you not have a shift?" He asked. I shook my head._

"_Not this Sunday. Tomorrow I have one, but that's from ten to three. Natsuo can come with me," I told him. "But today I was thinking about taking Rin, Shippou, and Natsuo to the park for a picnic." Sesshomaru nodded before looking me square in the eye._

"_Take your sister too," he told me, making my eye twitch. I was about to retort, yell, and scream to get him to change his mind, but the look in his eyes was final. I was left to defend myself against the beast that was my sister. _

_I took my coffee moodily and was about to take a sip when Book Boy interrupted me by grabbing the cup. I glared at him and refused to hand him my caffeine. _

"_What?" I asked. He sighed._

"…_Since you're pregnant now, darling, you aren't allowed massive amounts of caffeine and that means coffee. You drink massive amounts daily…take this," he handed me a smaller cup. I glared at it before glaring at him even more. _

"_Fine," I said stiffly, taking the smaller cup. He obviously could tell I was angry with him, but he didn't seem care. He knew I was angry with him, O, I could tell it in his eyes, but he chose to deny me! _

"_You are Satan," I told him minutes later after he sat down a piece of toast with butter in front of me. He grinned, replied with a smart aleck,"I know" before placing fruit in front of me. Natsuo motioned for the big plate of fruit, seeing as he had finished his portion, and begged his daddy to give him some more._

_I watched Inuyasha reach lazily to the fruit and grab a handful of blueberries, raspberries, and cut up watermelon from the fruit salad Sesshomaru threw together. I watched him in disgust as he placed the fruit on the table without a plate and began eating it piece by piece._

"_I forgot your table manners…" I told Inuyasha with a soft giggle. He looked up, scowled, and went back to resting part of his face on the wooden tabletop. When Sesshomaru sat down I smiled before remembering I should be angry with him. So I glared and glared and glared until he became tired with me._

"_Kagome, stop the angry little wife act and tell me why you are so sour these mornings?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. Those stupid eyebrows—perhaps I should shave them off when he's sleeping? Just shave them right off his face…see how pretty he is then. "Kagome?" He asked once he noticed I was off in my own world. I shook my head._

"_You should know! I can't have my regular amount of coffee—"_

"_Which is a preposterous amount," he interrupted. I glared even more before nodding._

"_I do have my fill, yes, but—hey! Wait a minute! When I was pregnant with Natsuo I spent a month eating chocolate alone and chocolate has caffeine! And look! My little boy wasn't underweight and I didn't have a miscarriage!" I exclaimed as I pointed at my baby. "Look at him! He's a normal, healthy little boy!"_

"_Who will become a coffee addict when he's older," Inuyasha chimed. I turned my glare to him. He smiled innocently as he raised his head. "It runs in the family?"_

"_Inuyasha! You are supposed to dislike your brother and turn against him to side with me!" Sesshomaru chuckled softly as Inuyasha pretended to raise a white flag over his head. I scowled. "That isn't funny, dummy head." Inuyasha grinned and looked at Sesshomaru._

"_Is she always like this pregnant? I never remember Kagome being so stubborn and assertive. Whatever this pregnancy has done to her, I like it," Inuyasha joked. I glared daggers before looking at Book Boy._

"_Do NOT answer that," I hissed. Sesshomaru looked amused, and I knew he would answer._

"_She's always been like this, actually. This new malicious side is a bit troublesome, but very darling all the same," he told his brother. I sighed as I fell into his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck._

"_Sesshou-kun…" I whined as I rubbed my cheek into his neck. "Please don't make me take Kikyo with me! Please take her with you! Please, please, please, please, please, please, please—"_

"_Kagome…" He scolded, but I just went on._

"_Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please with a pretty cherry on top? Please?" I ended giving him the puppy eyes and the jutted lip pout. He smirked at this and placed a kiss on my lips._

"_No, Kagome. You aren't getting out of this one. Inuyasha and I have to speak in private," he said before narrowing his eyes. "The night before a little mouse was eavesdropping."_

"_PLEASE!" I cried burying my head even further in his neck than it had been before. He wrapped his arms around me and chuckled softly. Damn masochist, liking to see his wife in pain. His look became softer as he kissed me again. _

"_You'll be fine," he comforted. "Just do nothing rash, my dear. And be wary of the baby…" I flicked Book Boy in the nose and scowled at him as he glared at my flicking. _

"_I hate you for putting me up to this. I really do!" I told him as I broke out of his arms to stand. He gave me that same concerning look that made my heart melt into a pile of womanly mush. I hated when he gave me that face. It looked so innocent, so completely adorable that he would worry about me. I could never win against the face. _

_We were silent for a few moments as I stood looking at him with a deep frown with my arms crossed. I then broke out gaze and looked at Natsuo._

"_I…I don't hate you," I mumbled. "I just strongly dislike you at this moment and it won't change for the whole day. Remember that!" He sighed as I stroked Natsuo's hair. "Your mother is a lunatic, baby. Don't worry, though. You shall inherit my insanity and we'll both live happily ever after without your father. Give me a kiss, honey," I cooed to Natsuo. I leaned down and kissed his cheek. I received a sloppy kiss on my lips and I smiled. "I love you too, baby."_

_And I went out of the room without any word to Book Boy or Inuyasha._

_It took ages for Kikyo to get up, but when she did both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had left. Before Book Boy went he kissed my lips (in which I did not participate in, thank you very much) and told me his cell phone would be on if there was any trouble. The last thing he told me was to behave and have fun with the kids at the park._

"_Mama, why is Kikyo coming?" Rin asked as I put a blanket in the little wagon I bought for Natsuo. Instead of a stroller for the park, I liked to drag him in his little red wagon. He seemed to enjoy it better too._

"_Well, sweetie, we can't leave her alone here can we?" I asked. She might trash the house, knowing her._

_Shippou smiled at me and I smiled back. He can be so sweet, especially when there was looming evil nearby._

_Natsuo climbed in quickly and stumbled once inside the wagon. We all laughed when he began to giggle before his attention quickly averted to the bag of cookies I placed in the cart. I gave him a look that those blue eyes of his understood._

"_No, Natsuo," I told him. "That's for a little while later. Mama will help you build a sand castle, okay?" The little boy grinned and clapped his hands._

"_Okay!" He squealed at the thought of getting dirty in the sand. This kid should be known as the anti-clean. He loved to get so messy and dirty whenever he was allowed outside. One day Sesshomaru let us go dancing in the rain, and this boy just ran and jumped right into the biggest mud puddle I've ever seen. We had to give him a good scrub down in the tub when he was finished._

_Kikyo stepped outside in a jean jacket and a pair of jeans. Our eyes met for a moment before we both turned away. The feeling was mutual: we didn't want to be here._

"_Let's go, sweethearts," I called, taking the wagon as we rolled down the driveway. Rin was holding onto my hand as Shippou walked beside me. Kikyo was left to trail the back. _

_The cool winds of fall bit our noses and ears. Though it was a bit chilly, my little boy didn't seem to mind. He continued to be his happy self, full of life. He huddled a little bit in the blue sweatshirt I bought for him, but otherwise he was bouncing in his wagon, raising his little hands in the air screaming "WEEEE!" at the top of his lungs whenever we went down the smallest of hills to the park. It made me smile._

"_Mama, you think John will be there?" Rin asked. I shrugged._

"_I'm not sure. Maybe if you're lucky he will," I told him and her grin grew ten sizes. Her first little crush! O, Book Boy, if you could just see how taken John was with her. The last time we visited the park John and his mother were present. I had a good talking with Mrs. Fitzpatrick and we both agreed on letting our children come over to our houses sometime. I haven't gotten in touch with her yet, but with Rin's growing crush I'll have to invite him over soon._

"_Honey, stay in the cart," I told Natsuo when he went to reach a branch on the passing tree on the sidewalk. He pouted, but didn't cry. He was too entranced with the little things outside to cry unlike other children. Natsuo was a very curious boy (that is actually an understatement. He's VERY curious with capital letters) and never got down enough to not notice what was around him. _

_The park we went to was one of those large plastic atrocities you always point at when you pass it in a car. Red, blue, and yellow structures towered over the running little kids. There were two separate playgrounds—one for the younger children and one for the older. Luckily the two were side by side, nearly connected. I could watch my older puppies while making sure Natsuo didn't get hurt. _

"_Kikyo, stay with the wagon," I told her. She glared at me, but otherwise sat her little behind down on a park bench. I frowned at her also and hoped that a passing bird would send a little present down on her head._

_Natsuo was all ready scrambling towards the playground, an excited smile on his face._

"_Mama!" He squealed. "Mama, Mama, Mama!" I took his hand as he tried to stumble up the red steps. He finally climbed up and stood there looking around him. O, you feel tall now, don't you baby boy?_

"_Do you want to go down the slide, babe?" I asked. He looked at me with his big blue eyes and quickly went to the plastic slide (it was one of those double small slides that Natsuo love. You understand?). He plopped his bottom down, kicked his legs, and pushed off with a squeal. He grinned and got off once the ride was over. "Very good, Natsuo. Again?" He was a step ahead of me—literally. He was all ready going up those red steps to get back to the slide again, This time he might get sidetracked, though, and play with the little steering wheel placed on the blue wall._

_I turned my eye off Natsuo and looked to see where Rin and Shippou were. Shippou was talking to a girl with blonde hair, while Rin was trying so desperately to get him to play with her. When she couldn't get his attention, and the two ran off, Rin came stomping over to me with tears in her eyes._

"_Shippou isn't playing with me!" She whined and a tear fell down her cheek. I brought her in my arms and gave her a tight hug as she cried._

"_Honey, you have to let Shippou play with others too. You can't be selfish, Rin—he can play with friends," I told her softly as I stroked her hair. Her crying soon stopped and she stood, wiping her little cheeks with her hands. I wiped away some tears with my sleeve, looking at Natsuo from the corner of my eye._

"_But Shippou is supposed to play with me, Mama!" She sniffled. I kissed her forehead._

"_That's not true, Rin, and you know it. You'll have to share Shippou with that little girl. Besides, what do you think Shippou feels when you go off to play with John by yourself, huh?" Rin seemed to contemplate my words and she nodded after a while. I smiled and kissed her cheek. "You can play with Mama and Natsuo if you want, honey? We were going to make sand castles soon once Natsuo is done on the slides," I said, hoping she'd pick herself up. She nodded once I called Natsuo over once he got to the end of his slide. "Come here, baby boy. We're going to make sand castles like you wanted," I told him as I sat down in the grass at the edge of the sand pit. Rin and Natsuo jumped right in and began collecting sand. Natsuo sat next to me and I helped him form a castle using the damper sand. Rin smiled and helped too._

_I soon became tired of the sand, running, and slides after forty-five minutes of it. Can these children run or what! But I kept up and enjoyed their games they made. Rin soon went off and Natsuo was growing tired of all the energy he was displaying. I took him in my arms (skillfully avoiding his sandy hands) and went to the bench where Kikyo was sitting to get him cleaned up. _

"_Get tired?" She asked mockingly. I scowled and started to wipe down his hands._

"_Yeah, actually," I snapped. Once Natsuo was clean and had a small cookie, he curled up in his wagon into the blanket I brought. Using an extra jacket as a pillow he fell asleep._

_I stroked his hair for a moment before I heard Kikyo say, "We need to talk."_

"_What's the point?" I asked. "I don't want to make a scene here in front of my children…and I can't make a scene back home. There's nothing I want to say to you."_

"_There is and you know it," she growled. "If you don't want to say something, I will. I think you are being completely immature treating me like shit."_

_My eyes widened. "What are you talking about?" I snarled. "Me treating YOU like shit? What about those precious ten years of my life, Kikyo? So I'm being nasty to you for the first day in ages—it makes up for the way you treated me my whole life."_

"_Bull shit," she said bitterly. "I didn't take any of your life away."_

"_Don't deny it!" I cried. "YOU were the one who tortured my existence! It was Naraku and Souta that kept me sane all these years. You abused me!" _

"_Abused you?" She asked, disbelieving. I growled._

"_You shouldn't try acting stupid, Kikyo. We both know full well you made my life hell each and every day! To the point where I would even take my own life away!" I ground out, trying so hard to keep my mind in control. We were interrupted by Rin and Shippou telling us they wanted to go home. We quickly obliged to this request and set forth to our destination._

_We were eerily silent and I knew the children were thinking the same thing: What happened? Kikyo glared daggers at my back as I dragged a sleeping Natsuo in the wagon. It was about time for his nap anyway._

_The day seemed cooler than normal during our walk. It must've been Kikyo's hate glares. _

_When we arrived back at the house, Rin and Shippou darted right inside. I pulled Natsuo up in the driveway and stopped the wagon by our car. I made sure it didn't move as Kikyo stood in the grass on the front lawn as if waiting for me, I couldn't back down from the challenge she threw out—I was too proud for that._

"_Admit it, Kikyo," I said surprisingly calm, though my insides were still boiling from her pretend innocence. "Admit that you made my life hell."_

_Her face contorted in one of disgust. "You know Mom was the most proud of you, Kagome?" She spat. "It was absolutely disgusting how much she fawned over you! She praised me for my failures and nothing but!" _

"_So?" I yelled. "That doesn't mean that you could treat me that horribly for keeping my grades up and enhancing my talents! I wasn't the one who went out every Friday and Saturday night to sleep with the boys on the football team! Or the baseball team! Or any fucking team you can think of! You were the one to destroy yourself in Mom's eyes! NOT ME!" _

_Kikyo's face had become so red with fury at that moment and I could feel my reddening. She slung her fist back and attempted to punch me—I ducked and gave her a good hit to the nose. She fell with gushing blood and I called an ambulance. _

…Well, that's the story as to why I'm here now with Sesshomaru glaring so intently at my person and Inuyasha pacing back and forth in the E.R. I broke Kikyo's nose, and though I rejoice in that fact, I also regret it. What if my children saw me? What if our neighbors saw me?

I sat staring at my lap, my hands clutching my coat. My knuckles were bruised and I had an ice pack on them, courtesy of Inuyasha. Book Boy didn't give me an ice pack—he was too angry with me to get me one. No, he wasn't angry…he was worse than that. He was disappointed with me. Completely disappointed.

Never has Book Boy been disappointed with me as much as he was now. His disappointment was what I regret most. He wouldn't even talk to me and whenever I tried to look him in the eye he turned away. I felt horrible. The pit of my stomach was falling and I felt even worse than I did back in high school with Kikyo ragging on me all the time.

I could feel tears glaze my eyes as I tried to look into his eyes. He turned his head away again and I looked back down. A tear slid down my cheek followed by another and another. It took a few minutes, but I soon felt arms around me in attempts to comfort. I knew it was Book Boy—the magenta mark on his arm just proved it. If there was one thing Book Boy could never stand it was tears.

He kissed my forehead and held me as close as he could while sitting in the other chair. He raked his fingers through my hair before kissing me again. "Why?" He asked. "Kagome, tell me it was for a perfectly good reason and I'll believe you…"

"I…" I bit my lip as I tried to calm my crying. "S-She was jealous of me, so she thought t-t-tormenting me would…" I hiccupped. "I-I was angry. She took the f-first punch that I d-d-dodged…" He hushed me before I could say anymore and held me as close as he could.

Once I had recovered my sobbing, I was calmly curled up in Book Boy's lap. He was rubbing my back so softly and so nicely that I could feel myself just wanting to fall asleep. But I couldn't. My sister, my horrible, horrible sister, was still getting her nose fixed. The thought actually made me giggle—I punched my sister in the nose.

"I love you, darling," I whispered to him. "Please promise me whatever happens you won't leave me. Not until we have a full long life doing whatever we do best. Okay?" He chuckled at my question and I felt his lips on my forehead.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, my dear. Just let us avoid your fists during that time, shall we?" He asked. I giggled before sighing.

"Sesshomaru…" I said.

"Yes?"

"She had it coming to her," I told him.

"Kagome…" He groaned. I grinned.

"I mean, seriously, darling, she has a horrible aim! You think I was going to let her get away with her trying to assault me? Ha! As if!" I cried. He sighed and closed his eyes as I sat up more on his lap. "You know that was my first ever fist fight. How do you think I did?"

"Considering it's your sister, I don't think you did very well," Inuyasha said as he sat down beside us. He sighed. "Kagome, we've barely been here a day and you've all ready broken Kikyo's nose. Can Sesshomaru or I ever leave you alone?"

"Sess just hasn't learned his lesson yet. I've warned him being alone with Kikyo is bad for my health but…" My eyes widened as I stopped physically. Sesshomaru stared at me for a moment as I began to scramble off his lap. "Bathroom! Baby! Yucky!" And I dashed off to the hospital bathroom, only to find it occupied. So I had to vomit in the wastebasket with the rotting banana peel lying at the bottom making the stench even worse.

Was this payment for punching Kikyo and breaking her nose?

…Karma sure is a bitch.

* * *

Another chapter done! How do you like seeing Kikyo being punched in the face? I liked the idea, and I hope you do too. 

Keep the ideas flowing, my pretties! I like what you have so far, but some of your ideas are quite obvious. If you have an idea on anything whether it be concerning Rin, Shippou, John, Kagome, Sesshomaru, Inuyasha, Natsuo, Kikyo or Kagome, just give me a review. If it was a small filler idea, I'd love it! It gives me more to feed off of. You understand?

Sesshomaru is such a sap. I hate making him this way, but somehow he's just so in love with Kagsy that he has to bend to her will. And he will be beating Kagome's ass down in the next chapter. He can only let Kagome get away with so much...I think breaking Kikyo's nose crosses the line.

I love your reviews! I eat 'em up like candy, people. Like pure, pure candy. Call me an addict, if you will. I don't know what I'm more addicted to: Kagome and Sesshomaru fanfictions or reviews!

Review, I say! REVIEW! **evil, evil laughter follows **...Please?

Lilith-dono

P.S. I might sound a little crazy because it's twenty two minutes till midnight...O well.

* * *


	5. Middlesex

Chapter 5—Middlesex:

"What? You broke her nose?" Naraku cried over the phone before giggles followed. I sighed as I twisted my body slightly to the right on my couch.

"It's not funny, Naraku. Sess is pissed at me, Kikyo is pissed at me and even Inu is a little edgy about it! I didn't mean to…she initiated the first punch, thank you very much," I told him with a frown. Naraku giggled again before sighing.

"Kagome, my dear little sister, I never thought you would be the person to punch our other dear sister in the nose! You know you could've let me do it for you?" He offered. I laughed softly.

"You always had something against Kikyo, Naraku. What was it?" I asked. Naraku always did have something against Kikyo because they would always fight—why he assisted her in that loan was beyond my knowledge. Perhaps he still felt a little brotherly love for her? I didn't know.

I was always one of Naraku's favorite siblings. He protected me from Kikyo as best he could, but there were many times where he was unable to do so because he was in detention. Those were the key times she struck and got me.

"Besides, you can't hit a girl. Isn't that against your morals?" I asked before snorting. "I just said you had morals. God, what's wrong with me? Is it because of being pregnant or—"

"Kags, you're pregnant again?" He asked. I smiled.

"Yep. Sorry…didn't I tell you all ready? Or did I just jump to punching Kikyo in the nose?" I asked. He sighed.

"Man, where did old little meek Kagome go? You've completely replaced her, Kaggy. Little Kagome wouldn't have punched her sister in the nose, no matter how much she deserved it," Naraku chuckled. I frowned.

"…Have I changed that much?" I asked softly. I never felt any change within me—was I honestly different? I didn't feel lonely anymore, yes, but had I grown more assertive? Or was it just the pregnancy?

"You have changed, but for the better. Sess probably wonders what happened to that little girl from the library, huh?" I frowned at this and curled up in the couch I was at.

"…Naraku…" I began, my voice hushed and laced with sadness. "Do you think Book Boy regrets taking me with him? I…O my God! I broke Kikyo's nose!" I cried. Naraku sighed as I felt realization take me over. I HAD changed! Was it for the better? Was it for the worse? Ever since I came to America I had felt like I was a different person…I thought the pregnancy did that. Was it Sesshomaru's father that toughened me up to face the music?

"Kagome, settle down. That guy loves you no matter what, all right? Get that through your thick skull. And I personally think you're better this way. You stand up for your own opinion!" Naraku cried, hoping I would be comforted. I snuggled my head into the couch and groaned.

"But wasn't it the meek Kagome he fell in love with? Not…not this monster I am right now?" I asked. He sighed.

"You aren't a monster, Kagsy. Why don't you drop him a visit?" He asked. I frowned even more.

"He should be coming home soon…it's three thirty. The kids are getting home soon too…"

"Talk to Yasha. He knows you pretty well," he suggested. I smiled.

"I should…he's somewhere outside. Sess ordered him to do something productive and mow the lawn. I think he is…" I said, looking out the window to see Inuyasha struggling with the lawn mower. I giggled softly.

"I wish I could be there, Kaggy, but you know I'm halfway around the world from you…" he sighed. I gasped as a thought plowed through my brain.

"Naraku!"

"Yeah?"

"I need you to do something very important for me…has Inu Taisho been looking for us? Is he looking for Inuyasha? Is he looking for Book Boy?" I asked hurriedly. I had gotten so carried away with my big Kikyo bashing that I had forgotten what I really wanted this call to be about!

"That? Yeah, it's a big discussion piece for the yakuza. Inu Taisho is absolutely furious with them both. He's searched Japan completely for you guys, but I don't think he's connected your leaving to Sesshomaru's leaving yet…or so I hope. I'll keep on it, Kaggy," he reassured me. I sighed and smiled.

"I hope he doesn't come for us. I can only imagine his face when he sees that Sesshomaru is married with four children. How awful to know your son ran off because he was threatened by you!" We were both silent after this. Naraku shuffled on the phone.

"…I think he misses them," he said gently. "As big and mean Inu Taisho seems to act, I think he really had a soft spot for his sons. They're his only family."

"This is all wrong, isn't it, Naraku?" I asked. "It's all wrong…"

"Kagome, don't cry. Please don't," he quickly gushed. "I had to deal with so much crying when you were both apart, so please don't start again! I never want to see you cry that much again, you hear me? Never again!" I laughed at his explanation.

"Of course. I won't cry…I just…I'll try to behave more, okay? I guess since we moved I've just felt so liberated from Kikyo and my past…now that she's here I'm angry. I'll behave. I promise you, Naraku," I told him sincerely. It was odd how I could confide in Naraku and not my husband. Though Sesshomaru is sweet and all, and I can confide in him with most things, he just couldn't understand my hate for Kikyo. Naraku had seen my hate and harbored the same feeling. If I promised to behave to anyone, I'd promise Naraku. Besides, he's the only one I told about Kikyo's nose. We've all decided that the shower pole in the bathroom fell on her face when she was about to take a shower. She agreed, and wasn't going to press charges against me (for that would just create more fuss than we needed). Our neighbors didn't see my punch (luckily) so we were safe. Or as safe as we could get from that little display of sisterly affection.

"Good," he said with a proud note in his voice. "You really knocked her one good?"

"Yep," I told him. "She has this big white thing on her nose now while it heals. It'll take a few weeks, but that's it…" I sighed. "I shouldn't be gossiping like this. I really shouldn't…Naraku, why aren't you here? I want to give you a huge hug for talking to me."

"I wish I was there too. You know how much I love ya, Kaggy. You're my little sister…if I was there then I could protect you from that Taisho bastard," he told me, growling at the end. I giggled.

"Which one?"

"I don't know, all three of them! How about that?" He asked and I knew he was grinning on the other line. I giggled.

"Okay. You do that for me next to you come over to see our newest addition to our family. How about that?" I asked.

"Tell Mom soon or she'll kill you for not telling her and me for knowing before her. I quite enjoy life and since I'm the closet one she can kill since you're away safe and snug, then—" He was cut off by a large crash. "O shit!"

"Naraku?" I asked. I could distantly hear a grunt and a yell. "Naraku!" I cried.

"Don't mind that. I just knocked something into Kagura," he told me. I sighed in relief. I thought something bad happened to him!

"And who is Kagura?"

"A needy little bitch that loathes me," he said coolly, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

I was silent for a moment before asking a confused, "What?"

"She's absolutely horrific. We hate each other to the point where we'd slit each others throats," he sighed. "I'm fond of her."

I wasn't going to dwell on my brother's demented mind. If anyone could find love through hate it would be my brother.

"Why can't you find a good girl and settle down with her?" I asked him. "Have a few kids, run away from the yakuza—it's a more satisfying life than you think."

"Sorry, Kaggy. No can do. I enjoy what I do and I enjoy sleeping with the women I want to. Is that fine for you or are you going to scold me on my lifestyle?" He asked. I sighed.

"No, I'm not. I just worry about you sometimes. Isn't that normal?"

"Yeah. Since you're going to behave, I'll behave too. And I'll keep you up to date on the Taisho business," he told me, and I could hear a distant 'Ugly fucker! That isn't funny!' He sighed. "I made her use the nasty shampoo. She's too inferior to use the good stuff."

"Naraku!" I cried. "That stuff is eight years old!"

"And I should care?" He asked, and I nearly snorted. Instead I opted to put my hand to my forehead and shake my head.

"You're hopeless," I giggled.

"I'm told that every day either by Mom or Souta. You should really call him soon; you know he's sad that he hasn't heard from you yet? All mopey that he didn't get to see baby Natsuo since he had college. Invite him over sometime," he said.

"I will soon if that makes you feel any better. And give him my number for me. If he gets some time during the summer he should come," I told Naraku before pausing. I believe I heard the garage door go up. "I have to go. I think Sess is home."

"Okay. Be good, little Kagster," he replied affectionately. I smiled.

"I will, Naraku. Thanks for talking," I ended. "I'll speak to you again soon. Take care of yourself."

"Yeah-huh. Bah-Buye!" Naraku called in a strange accent before hanging up the phone. I stared at the telephone for a few moments before giggling. I just leaned back and laughed and laughed. Do you realize how long it's been talking to my brother? It must've been months!

"Have you successfully murdered your sister, my dear?" I heard Book Boy ask before adding, "Really. Kagome. You haven't killed your sister, now, have you?"

"No," I said with a brilliant smile as he bent down and gave me a kiss. I looked into his eyes as I leaned my forehead against his. "I was just talking to my idiot brother."

"I see…well, my dear, I have a surprise for you," he smirked. I raised an eyebrow as he leaned backward from my personal area. He nodded, lifted the Barnes and Nobles (A/N: Do not own anything American I mention, thank you!), and grinned.

"A surprise?" I asked childishly as I tried to peek inside the bag. I couldn't because he pulled it away too quickly.

"Close your eyes," he commanded. I pouted and shook my head no. His silver hair fell over his shoulder as he tilted his head.

"Kagome…" he taunted, extending my name into a long drawl, and shaking the bag. "Close your eyes or you won't receive this gift I've gone out of my way to get you." My pout deepened and I finally closed my eyes. I felt him sit next to me on the couch and arms were placed around me. I was pulled onto his lap (and my eyes automatically opened at the action). When I looked behind at Book Boy's face he was smiling.

"What are you so happy about?" I asked. He grinned even more.

"I," he said before kissing me fully on the lips. "Have found out the reason of your crazy mood swings as of late."

I raised my eyebrow even higher with a disbelieving look on my face. "Sess, darling, I'm a woman. We all have crazy mood swings whether you like them or not. It's just how the world turns."

"Yes," he agreed. "That is very true. But you've been unbearable the past three or four days. And I've found out why."

"Enlighten me with an answer, dear," I said sarcastically, patting him on the knee. He smiled and nudged my shoulder.

"Open the bag," he ordered softly. I sighed, took the bag from his grasp, and opened it.

My eyes widened at the beautiful sight. Books were nearly spilling out of the top of the bag. I picked out the top and started reading the big titles that I've seen at the library.

"Sesshomaru, this had to be expensive! You have nearly twenty books in here!" I cried. He nuzzled my neck and kissed my ear.

"It's worth it. You once told me your reading was what kept you sane. You haven't been reading as much as you used to. Though you go to that library of yours for work, you never use it to your fullest advantage. These you may keep and read whenever you so please," he explained. My eyes grew big and filled with love for my husband. How considerate! He went out of his way to make me feel better?

I pounced on him after giving him the big eyes for a few moments. I hugged the snot out of him exclaiming, "I love you! I love you! I love you! I love you!" over and over until he became dizzy with my endearments. He chuckled as I continued to kiss him all over and stroke his hair.

"I want you to read a good two hours a day," he told me once I let go to look through the pile of books. I gasped at my findings.

"J.D Salinger! Jeffery Eugenides! Did you get both?" I asked.

"Yes. _Middlesex _and _The Virgin Suicides_. He seemed like an author you'd fancy," he said. I felt my heart melt as I looked back at him.

"Thank you," I said sincerely. "I never thought that I haven't been reading as much as I used to. Do you think…is that why I've been acting so weird lately?" I asked. He kissed my forehead and stood up dusting off his black turtleneck from imaginary lint.

"Either that, the pregnancy, or your sister. Since we aren't about to change your pregnancy or your sister, I thought we could help your reading."

"What about Natsuo?" I asked. "I still have to take care of my baby."

"Yes, but what about the time after Natsuo falls asleep? And the free time you have at the library when no one comes to the desk?" He questioned. "You can find some time."

"But after Natsuo falls asleep, that's you and me time," I pouted. "I like the you and me time."

He smiled. His golden eyes twinkled with that smile and I knew he was truly happy. I know when my husband felt content—it must be now after work when he feels the greatest. I need to remember that's when he's in a good mood. I can give him the worst news if anything did happen then.

"I realize you enjoy our time together, but you need some time for yourself. Understand?" He asked, tapping my nose with his index finger. I giggled at the motion and looked up at him.

"I'm not in kindergarten, you know?"

"Of course I know," he teased as he took my hands. Sess lifted me up onto my feet. "If you were in kindergarten I would be considered a child molester. And you are quite a curvaceous kindergartener, if I may add."

"No," I shook my head. "I'm not a kindergartner. But thank you for the compliment on my looks. Am I really that curvy?" I asked. He kissed my cheek.

"You're perfect," he mumbled. I sighed.

"Seriously, though. Am I that curvy?" I repeated. "And if I am is it a bad curvy? Like, you know, my boobs are getting bigger and all because of this pregnancy…"

"Your breasts are fine, Kagome. Take a book, curl on the couch, and read," he demanded, giving me another kiss. I nodded as I held out my arms to wrap around him.

"Can you read with me? Like the good old times?"

"Perhaps. But I have to start dinner soon, and now with our additions, it seems it will become a little more tedious for the portions need to be doubled," he explained, and I could see the sad look in his eye. He really did want to read with me…

"Later?" I asked hopefully. He smiled and kissed my forehead.

"Perhaps…" he murmured before finally letting me go. I grinned as he patted my head. "Now go get Inuyasha. I need him to attempt the lawn another day. Tonight he's peeling any vegetable I seem fit."

"You're so dominate, Sesshou-kun," I teased at his order. "Makes me shiver and all that jazz."

"Hmm…" He mumbled as he brought me close to him again, my back pressed against his chest. He kissed my ear before trailing his lips and tongue down my neck. He moved the cloth that covered my shoulder down and kissed the skin it revealed. I sighed as he nipped the skin with his teeth.

"EWW!" Rin squealed loudly, breaking our romantic moment. Sesshomaru sighed, kissed my shoulder once more before replacing his lips with my clothing. The little girl and he had a stare down before Sesshomaru launched himself at her.

She squealed as he tossed her into the air over his shoulder. He tickled her mercilessly as she pounded her little fists on his back. It vaguely reminded me of the time we first moved into this house. When the kids were in bed after dinner Sesshomaru had an odd gleam in his eye and tossed me over his shoulder. I pounded my fists into his back and cursed him as he tickled me. While we were off to do less innocent things, it still reminds me of that night…

God, why do you make me bring up such irrelevant things? Is this why people find me so silent and day-dreamy? Because I'm thinking such stupid, incoherent thoughts?

I sighed as I made my way outside to retrieve Inuyasha. My insanity! Why couldn't it just leave me alone once in a while?

Inuyasha grunted seven times in my ten second walk over to him. He wore a white tank top covered in grease stains and sweat. My nose scrunched at the smell.

"Yasha!" I cried, making him look up at me. "What in God's name are you doing? And why aren't you freezing?"

"I had a sweater on earlier, but I got too damn hot," he said.

"Fifteen dollars," I interrupted. He glared at me.

"And this thing isn't working. I don't know why Sess is making me mow your stupid lawn! It looks fine!" He grumbled, surveying the lawn. And, honestly, it did look fine. I closed my eyes and smiled. An image of my devious husband flashed in my mind, and it oddly was him giving me a peace sign with his fingers and his tongue stuck out in victory. (Not like he's ever done that pose, mind you).

"You realize he's done this on purpose?" I asked. Inuyasha was silent for a moment before he said a loud, angry, "Fuck."

"Yash, don't get angry with him. He just wants you doing something productive…" I reasoned. Sesshomaru! You ass! Look what you've done! Made Inuyasha all dirty and grimy! I'M THE ONE DOING HIS LAUNDRY TOO!

I inwardly growled. Sesshomaru, I swear, you are not getting this body for a good three months! Or, perhaps, since I enjoy our sex, I should just make HIM do the laundry…

Very nice idea, Kagome.

Why thank you, Kagome! It is a brilliant idea, isn't it?

I suppose it is.

God, I'm having conversations with myself. No matter how playful they are supposed to be, I can't help but find myself pitiful.

"Productive? I'll show that ass some production!" He said loudly. I frowned as he continued to yell. To shut him up I decided to use the reasonable approach: smack him over the head.

He hushed at my swat and turned a stern glare at me.

"Go inside right now, ya cry baby. Sess needs help making dinner and this is my night off. Skedaddle, mister! I want you clean before you touch even a bit of food! Understand?" I asked. He pouted at me before pointing at the lawn mower.

"It's possessed!"

"Go!" I cried, pointing at the door. He pouted even more and turned to leave.

"Fine!" He growled.

Before he entered the door fully I shouted, "Seventeen dollars!" The door slammed loudly. He probably woke my honey bear.

When I entered the house again Sesshomaru was at Inuyasha's throat. Sesshomaru had him pinned to the ground, "You dare wake the baby?"

"You're the one who fucking caused it!" Inuyasha hoarsely replied as Sesshomaru applied more pressure to his neck.

"Do you realize how rare it is these days Natsuo sleeps? This nap is a blessing to Kagome, this whole household, and myself. A nap ensures us Natsuo will sleep through the night," Sess growled softly.

"That reasoning is fucked up," Inuyasha barely made out, as his head was pressed deeper into the carpeting.

"It may seem so, but that is also my toddler," he spat. I grouchily walked over to Sesshomaru and Inuyasha who seemed to be in a deep argument about children's sleeping habits. I took Sesshomaru by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up. He glanced down at me and frowned.

"He absolutely deserved it. He nearly woke Natsuo up from his nap," he explained. I nodded, smiled, and kissed him.

"That was a very nice form. Did you wrestle in high school?" I asked.

"No, but being yakuza for much of your life has taught you things you never thought you'd learn. Besides, having an idiot for a younger brother means you may practice more at your technique," he coolly told me. I could see the flirty look in his eyes as I hooked my arm around his. We began walking to the kitchen.

"Really, now?" I asked. "Tell me more, darling."

"You just side with him because he's your husband!" Inuyasha cried. I looked back at him and glared.

"Do you seriously understand how hard it is to put Natsuo down for a nap to make sure he sleeps through the night? You might think sleeping means he'll be up later at night, but that's the exact opposite of my baby. Naraku did it when he was younger too," I told him. Sesshomaru smiled and pulled me along to the kitchen.

"I think he may have dirtied the carpet with that grease," Sesshomaru told me with a sigh.

"What? We just had those cleaned a few weeks ago!" I gasped. We both looked at each other after thinking about our newly dirtied carpet.

"Inuyasha cleans?" He asked.

"Definitely. Now start getting things ready. I might be gracious enough to help…I don't know," I teased. He raised an eyebrow at me as I skipped over to the sink to wash my hands. Even if I didn't touch Inuyasha, I could feel the grim on my hands. What a messy man!

"We're out of soap," I told him as I squirted out the last of the container. He glanced over to the side as he brought out his ingredients.

"Underneath the counter there's an economy sized bottle. Poor some into the empty container," he told me. I sighed and did as he said.

"Do you have papers to grade tonight?" I snorted a second after my question. "Silly me! You always have papers to grade!"

"I need my class sharp and ready. But…" He began. "I can put them off until tomorrow and read tonight. It'll be like another one of those times at the library."

"Good," I whispered, a happy smile on my face.

After Inuyasha cleaned up, he joined Book Boy in making dinner. Though he complained most of the time, he gave me a wonderful show. He made Sesshomaru grow so angry he was about to pin him again on the kitchen floor if I didn't settle my husband down. When Inuyasha was released I released from the seventeen dollars he owed me today, he just put on an additional ten.

"Twenty-seven," I smugly said, putting out my hand. Inuyasha frowned as he dug into his wallet and pulled out a twenty and a five.

"That's all I have on me. You're running me dry, and we've barely been here a full week."

"If you didn't have such a foul mouth you'd still have your money," I scolded. He frowned and sat down at the table to sulk. I sighed as I looked over at Sesshomaru.

"Where are the kids?" I asked.

"Outside. I've been watching them out the window," he said looking up from the noodles he was making. "Get the pups to come inside and wash up. Inuyasha, retrieve Kikyo from her room soon."

"Can you ever say anything nice for once?" Inuyasha asked Sesshomaru. "Inuyasha do this! Inuyasha do that! A nice 'Please' would be very helpful!"

Sesshomaru stopped stirring and raised an eyebrow, "Inuyasha, I'll say please when your mouth becomes less vulgar." I snorted into giggles as Inuyasha turned a glare onto me. I quickly left the kitchen through the sliding door, and went onto our small porch.

"Mama! Look what we found!" Shippou yelled. I looked around the house to see my little boy, and what I saw shocked me.

I stood stock still as Shippou held onto a big white dirty dog. Rin was beside him stroking the shaggy mass of fur, and she giggled as it nudged her cheek with its nose.

"Rin!" I whispered, staring the dog down. "Shippou! Get over here! What are you doing?"

"We found Princess over by the trees, Mommy," Rin said as she came prancing over to my side. I bent down and looked at her ruined clothing.

"Honey, what were you two thinking? This dog could be dangerous!" I told both Rin and Shippou as I embraced them.

"We're sorry, Mommy," Rin said softly. "But look! Princess was playing with us! Come here, Princess!" The big dog took a step forward with its tongue lolling out of it's mouth. I took a deep breath as it approached me; it's green beady eyes looking from the children up to the adult.

"Can we keep him, Mama?" Shippou asked.

"Please?"

"Please. Please, please?" They chanted. I was about to tell them a flat out, "No" but the looks on their faces were too darling. My insides were melting for them.

"Darlings, you must understand that this dog might belong to someone else," I said softly, kissing each dirty forehead. They frowned and their lips quivered. "But, maybe if your father agrees, we can keep him until the owner comes to get him?" Their frowns turned upside down and they attacked me with kisses and hugs. I giggled as the dog came too, pouncing on the three of us.

We stood up after a moment and I looked at the dog. I reached my hand out and stroked his soft head. When he went to lick my palm I squealed at the feeling.

"Come…Princess," I hesitantly called. The dog bounded up to me and I could tell it was definitely a male. Then why Princess? "Darlings, why did you name a male dog Princess?"

"That's the only name he'd come to," Rin said cutely. We stepped up the porch and I bit my lip.

"Darling?" I called, opening the sliding door. Sesshomaru looked at me from where he stood. Kikyo now sat at the table with that ridiculous white bind over her nose. I smiled innocently at him.

"Yes, Kagome?" He asked suspiciously. He knew my sugary voice was nothing to joke about.

"Come here," I said, wagging my finger to bring him over. He approached and once he came within distance of me he sneezed. "The kids found something they want to keep."

When he saw the dog his eyes widened to a point where I've never seen him so surprised. Rin and Shippou crowded his sides, tugging on his shirt and pants to let them keep the dog. He looked at me and his eyes demanded an explanation.

"He's quite nice, actually," I told him as I pet the dog on the head. "He was playing with the kids for a while. I said we could keep him if you deemed it was all right. Is it?"

"Absolutely not!" He growled loudly as the kids began to put on the waterworks. "Kagome, why did you even think of promising this?"

"I didn't promise," I said defensively. "It's all your decision."

"My decision is no and that's final!" He was about to tell the kids a stern "No" once more, but he sneezed loudly instead. "Get the mutt away from me."

"Kids, go upstairs and get changed for dinner," I whispered to them as tears rolled down Rin's face. I kissed her forehead again. "I'll try talking to Papa, but I don't know if he'll give in." She rubbed her fists to stop her crying, but it didn't seem to work. Shippou was also at the edge of tears. "Darlings, go. Now. You don't want to make Papa any angrier than he is now." Taking this last piece of advice they scuttled upstairs to get ready for dinner.

"You," I directly pointed at the dog. "Stay." I shut the door and looked at Sesshomaru who was wiping his nose with a tissue.

"Those kids never ask for anything besides those cookies from the grocery store. Why can't they get a dog?" I asked. He frowned at me and threw away the tissue.

"Are you that blind, Kagome?" He grumbled. I frowned at his reply as I heard Inuyasha sigh.

"Sess is allergic to dogs and cats. Some pollens too. I wouldn't be surprised if he were allergic to goldfish," Inuyasha explained. Book Boy sniffled and looked at me.

"I can't live in the same house as a dog. My allergies are tame with cats, but dogs I cannot handle," he said stiffly. I kissed his cheek and ran my fingers through his hair.

"You should've told me sooner!" I whispered soothingly as he grabbed another tissue. He sighed as I smiled at this new weakness I never knew he possessed. Book Boy is like a god to me, my super hero. He's strong, comforting, and kind. Now knowing he did fall prey to some of the little things in life, it made me realize something. It made me realize I loved him even more than I did before.

"No dog," he murmured, throwing away the tissues into the wastebasket.

"All right," I cooed, pinching his cheek. He turned away at the motion and glared at me.

"Don't you dare tease me about this, Kagome," he said sternly. I smiled and batted my eyelashes.

"But it's just so dang cute! You're allergic to doggies! And you're the one who has no health issues!"

"Go make sure they change out of their clothes and rinse off their hands. And get rid of that dog out back!" He growled, his cheeks a slight pink from embarrassment, while pointing to the stairs and then to the dog.

Inuyasha sighed and stood up, "Looks like a job for me to do. I always was the one to get those dogs away from you." Inuyasha chuckled. "He hates dogs yet they always come back. It's like they're horny about him or something!"

Sesshomaru grabbed a wooden spoon and threw it so fast no one knew what happened until Inuyasha was clutching his head in pain and the spoon fell on the floor with a clunk. I pursed my lips and shook my head.

"Someone's touchy," I observed. He glared and once again pointed upstairs. I took my leave. Now I sure as hell didn't want to get hit by one of those spoons! Do you realize how much that would hurt?

When I entered their room both Rin and Shippou were sniffling on Shippou's bed in new clothes. Rin was still in full tears and as I sat next to her she looked at me. Those big brown eyes of hers were so teary I thought my heart would burst.

"Come here, sweetie," I whispered as I brought the little girl close to my body. I rocked her back and forth as I held Shippou in my other arm. "I know you want Princess, but Papa said no."

"Why?" She wailed. I kissed each forehead and sighed.

"Papa is allergic to doggies. Do you know what that means?" I asked. Rin shook her head, as Shippou remained silent. "You see Papa can't be near doggies. If he is near them then he starts sneezing. If he's around them too much he could get sick. You don't want Papa sick, now, do you?"

"No…" She whispered. I nodded softly.

"I know, pet. I'd let us keep that doggie in a heartbeat if it didn't make Papa feel bad. Okay?"

They were silent as they dried the tears they had shed on my clothes. I smiled at them and took one hand each. "We'll have a big bowl of ice cream after dinner, okay? And maybe I can get Papa to keep Princess outside until we find his owner." The two squealed at this idea. "I'll talk to him tonight. Don't let him know about it yet, darlings."

When we arrived downstairs things were deathly quiet. Book Boy would interrupt sometimes with a little sneeze, but otherwise that's how dinner went. There was something I didn't know and it was absolutely horrifying.

I wasn't hungry. Midway during our meal I started feeling sick to my stomach. Sesshomaru asked me if I was all right, but I merely said, "Excuse me while I vomit my food, please" and left the table.

I must've been followed because while I gave up most of what was in my stomach, someone was holding my hair. The larger hand on my back led me to assume it was Book Boy.

When I was finished I wiped my mouth off with toilet paper. I took more and began scrubbing down my tongue to get rid of that nasty burning sensation.

I leaned against the toilet bowl and looked up at Book Boy with confident eyes.

"What are you not telling me?" I asked sternly. His golden gaze swept over me and he fell to his knees with a shaky smile.

"These coincidences are getting very frequent these days with out family," he murmured as he looked down at me. I scrambled to stand up from the toilet bowl, but my head hurt.

"What coincidence?"

"Kikyo has seen that dog before," he told me. I frowned.

"There are more than one type of that breed, Sess-kun," I comforted softly as I stroked his hair. He nodded.

"I suppose you are right, but I have come to realize coincidences are not always coincidences," he said quietly. I frowned even more.

"No. I don't think so, darling. I talked to Naraku earlier today and he says he's still looking in Japan. So don't worry about it—"

"I have to worry about it!" He growled as he interrupted me. "I have to worry about you, our children, my relatives and your relatives! It is my fault, Kagome. I was the one to make the decision about moving; it was my decision to make you involved! That dear mother of yours could be in danger as well as your other siblings! Kagome, do you realize how bad this situation is?"

I didn't know how to respond. If Sesshomaru was getting freaked out by this then it meant something horrible was going to happen. So I did the only thing that came to mind: I embraced him so tightly to escape our worries. My face snuggled into his side as his arms wrapped around my form.

"It's not all your fault," I whispered as I clung to him. "While you made the decision I did too. Darling, my brother knows the situation and knows how to keep Mama and Souta safe. Understand this: I'm with you. Book Boy, I'll always be with you. We'll get through this together…all right?" I asked softly. He ran his nose through my hair and kept his face close to my body. He let out a long breath and closed his eyes.

"You do not know how much dread has been within me this past week," he chuckled darkly. I kissed his forehead.

"It'll help more to share it on both of our shoulders. If you have any more doubts tell me, okay?" I stroked his hair lovingly on the bathroom floor. "And I do find that you are taking this little dog incident a little too seriously."

"I suppose you are right…I doubt it is the same dog," he mumbled as I held him close to my breast. I rocked him back and forth.

"There, there. You know it's probably not the same dog, and Kikyo is getting a little payback for her nose job. Sure, we're giving her food and board free she still sees me as her enemy. And you're married to said enemy so you're in betrayal also," I laughed. "It's very childish, isn't it?" He nodded.

"If you deem it so childish why do you participate as you do?" He asked. I kissed his forehead again.

"Because…" I whispered with a dark smile on my lips. "I can never resist a challenge…" My darkness faded and I sighed as I rested my cheek on his head. "But I did promise Naraku I'd behave better starting from now on. In return he promised he'd be a good boy too."

"Why couldn't you promise me?" He asked softly. I froze for a moment before I stroked his cheek with my finger.

"Because Naraku fully understands the hate I feel against my sister. He's seen her do horrible things to me, and while I love and trust you, Naraku is the only one who can make me feel better about her. He protected me when you weren't there," I explained. He fell more into my embrace and sighed.

"I suppose I understand…" He frowned. "That dog destroyed part of the yard."

"Well, it made the kids happy. Do you think we could get a kitty?" I asked.

"It's either a pet or your husband. Take your pick," he told me seriously as he lifted his head from my chest and looked me square in the eye. We held a staring contest for a moment before a smile broke my lips.

"What do you want me to say?" I teased. He narrowed his eyes and a small frown was placed on his lips.

"I don't know. What do you wish to say, Kagome?" He replied bitterly. I thought it over for a moment and that made his mood even sourer.

"A dog would be nice. Maybe a cat too. If you moved out we could get whatever animal we wanted," I mused, smiling as I did so. He glared. "But I _guess_ we'd have to keep _you _too. No dog."

He looked at me suspiciously, "Were you teasing me or were you seriously contemplating the dog?"

I smiled, "A dog would be a lot easier to handle. I bet a dog doesn't have a yakuza for a father." His eyes turned to a sharp gold as I backed up from the toilet and out of his grasp.

"Kagome…" He growled, that same gold flashing in his eyes. I scrambled up as he crawled forward. I shot off as I heard, "Kagome you tease! Get back here this instant!"

I screamed as I crashed into a corner with my arm as he followed, "SESSHOMARU! YOU'RE CHASING YOUR PREGNANT WIFE HERE!" I shouted.

"You aren't too pregnant yet!" He cried as he caught my arm and spun me around to crash into his chest. He quickly held my arms behind my back and I pouted as he rested his head on my shoulder. "Give in, my dear."

"Seriously, give me a heart attack why don'tcha," I said stiffly. He grinned.

"Wish you'd have a dog now?" He asked, kissing my neck. I paused for a moment.

"Yes," I said simply. He sighed and let go of me. I grinned. "We haven't had a chase like that in ages!"

He scratched his head with an affectionate smile, "No. Seems like we haven't had time. Since Natsuo is asleep we—" He was interrupted by a wail and I turned to see we were next to Natsuo's room.

"Damn," we muttered at the same time. We then smiled and I went to get my baby. So we woke Natsuo up, O well! That was the most fun we've had in ages. The first time he chased me was a week after we moved into this house and it scared me to death! It then became a normal routine of my teasing Sesshomaru and he chasing me until I had nowhere to run. He'd then kiss my neck with the same husky voice and release me. We'd get back on with out work as if nothing happened, too.

I looked around and saw Inuyasha giving us a weird look. I sighed. We must seem really odd to make Inuyasha give us that stare.

Once I calmed Natsuo down with my kisses and a stuffed bear, Inuyasha crept closer.

"What the hell was that?"

"Nothing that can be explained," we both sighed at the same time. He nodded and crept out of Natsuo's room.

I giggled, "This family just gets more and more exciting."

Sesshomaru sighed in agreement, "You have absolutely no idea."

* * *

I'm sorry for the delay! I was gone for a week and I couldn't type in the midst of my cousins. And I'll warn you that in two weeks I'll be leaving for California. I'm going to be gone for two weeks, and I doubt I'll have much time to write. So I'll do what I can in that amount of time, but this will be delayed again. 

I've decided I'm going to calm Kagome down a little. She's been so crazy she is seeming a little out of character from my last story. Hopefully she'll start behaving a little more soon.

Thanks so much for your gracious reviews! It's a pleasure to know you enjoy my writing, no matter how medicore it may be. It makes me absolutely ecstatic.

Any more suggestions or mistakes you find in my work? Pop me a review, and I'll listen.

* * *


	6. Still Middlesex

Chapter 6: Still Middlesex

"Do you think Snape has a wife?" I asked Inuyasha. He raised an eyebrow as he stuffed some popcorn in his mouth.

"Boo?" He asked, his mouth full. I glared at him before pointing at the TV with my remote.

"The guy in the black. Do you think he has a wife?" I repeated. He shrugged.

"I dunno. Who cares, anyway? He's just in some stupid Gary Blotter movie anyway," he said, stretching like a cat as he stood up to refill his bowl of popcorn and chips.

"Well maybe you don't care, but I do. The guy obviously needs someone to love. So he used to be a Death Eater—he's good now! A nice lady should get together with him and they'll have some Jr. Snape's," I told him simply, scowling when he wasn't paying attention.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. So you'd marry him?" He asked giving me a lazy glance.

"Probably not," I said curling up in my plaid blanket. "But I'm not in Garry Blotter either, now am I?"

"You could try and cast in. You could be Snape's wife who hates Garry," he offered with a smile. I scowled and threw my purple pillow at him.

"It's Harry Potter, stupid," I told him, raising an eyebrow so he'd get the point. He shrugged again and sat back down with the decision to live with the little supply of junk food he had left. What a pig. I've had to do more groceries because of his stomach alone.

"Like I give a shit," he mumbled.

Today I'd been feeling under the weather so I gave my shift to Alexandria, a depressed teen that seemed to be attached to books. I had visited the doctor's a few weeks ago and they affirmed I was pregnant. Since it was colder outside and I enjoy spending time with my children, I got some sniffles. Book Boy and I decided taking medicine might hurt our unborn child so I was stuck at home with an annoyingly bored Inuyasha and a brooding Kikyo. We were huddled on the couch with Natsuo on the floor playing with his toys.

"Pass the tissues, please," I asked him. He handed me the blue box and I greedily took a tissue before I sneezed the disgusting snot out of my nose. "It sucks being pregnant and sick at the same time."

"Ditto," he mumbled. I gave him an odd look. "What?" He asked defensively. "Okay, maybe I'm not pregnant and sick at the same time, but it's worse to be sick and…and have a birthday!"

I resisted rolling my eyes, "You're an idiot, Yash."

"You seem to like to remind me," he grumbled. I smiled at him before sneezing.

"Mama sick?" The little boy asked. I smiled and nodded.

"Yes, baby. Mama is sick. But Mama will be all right. Don't worry," I comforted, smiling at the little boy as I did so. He seemed to take my answer with a grin and continued to play with his blocks.

"_Scared Potter?"_

"_You wish."_

"Should we watch something else?" I asked. Inuyasha shrugged.

"I don't care either way. Though this is getting pretty interesting. That prissy kid with the yellow hair just got thrown across a room," he said.

"Inuyasha, someone who has yellow hair is called a blonde," I sighed. "No use explaining it, I suppose. I can see why your father relied on Sess. You're too simple sometimes."

He glared at me, "You'll know that Father used me for lots of jobs and not only Sesshomaru. Since that icicle is the oldest he's the one who has to take over the family business, so it really doesn't matter anyways."

"Well he's not taking over the family business, now is he?" I asked.

"Suppose not. And I'm not either so Dad is kinda screwed. Unless he finds us, of course," he said off-handily. I nodded in agreement.

"Do you think he'll hate me? And the kids?" I asked softly. Inuyasha barked a laugh.

"He'll be furious if that's what you're asking! Dad doesn't like things hidden from him. With this and all, well…let's just say he'll be even more pissed," he said. I sighed and dug deeper into my blanket.

"I guess it couldn't be helped…" I frowned. "Pity."

We were silent as Natsuo played with his toys. Inuyasha had gotten up to graciously make me some ramen and to get Natsuo's lunch. I thanked him and told him how much his help was appreciated. He blushed at the comment and brushed me off. Same old Inuyasha.

"Hey, Kags?" He asked as I sipped my ramen broth. I raised my head a little to incline I was listening.

"Hmm?" I asked, slurping the soup.

"What…what do you see in my brother?" He asked hesitantly. "Not like there is anything wrong with him…it's just odd that we used to date and then you turn to my brother."

I was silent for a moment pondering. What did I see in Sesshomaru? Well, that was a simple answer.

"I love him," I said confidently. "And he loves me unconditionally. He'd never hurt me in any way and he respects my opinions and ideas. He lets me do whatever I want freely and only intervenes when he sees fit." I paused. "And he lets me delve into his personality. He allows me to see what he truly is and I love that about him." I sipped my cup of orange juice with a smile. "I'm truly a lucky woman to have him."

"He's a lucky guy to have you, Kags," Inuyasha said. "I'm sorry I missed out."

"You had your chance but you gave it up for Kikyo. I was thinking a while ago it's thanks to you I have the family I have now. If you didn't scar me so badly from that messy break up then I wouldn't have met the love of my life," I smiled. "Thanks, Yasha."

"No problem…I never really meant to do that to you. I know I've apologized before, but I really mean it. That whole fiasco was a mistake," he said with a sincere look in his eyes. I nodded and smiled.

"You're forgiven."

I spent my time eating my meal as Inuyasha fed the clapping Natsuo. I watched the little boy happily put the food in his mouth with his little fork. He spent his time on his vegetables, however, and I knew that when he was older I would have to force them down his throat. Like mother like son, I assume.

Kikyo entered the kitchen while I finished my soup.

"Hey, Kikyo?" I asked. She made no move to acknowledge my existence. "Why do you coop yourself up in your room all the time? I know we have our difficulties and all, but you can at least come downstairs and get a little fresh air out back."

"None of your business," she snapped. I frowned.

"O really?"

"Don't act interested now," she told me bitterly, turning a frosty glare on me. We glared at each other for a few moments before I smirked.

"Your nose looks a bit crooked," I remarked smartly. Her eyes burned with hatred.

"You look like you're putting on some pounds," she replied with venom seething through her words. I dropped my mouth as she grabbed the sandwich she had made and left.

"Harsh," Inuyasha chimed as he placed his dish in the sink.

"That was so uncalled for!" I cried. He sighed and gave me a look.

"You insulted her first," he reminded.

"So?" I asked. "She was looking for it. I asked a perfectly polite question and she turns around to bite my head off. Self defense, Yash." I frowned as I looked down at my stomach. I must have been looking at myself for a while because he sighed again.

"Kags, you haven't gained much weight. You're pregnant, anyway, so should it matter? Everyone gets fat when they get pregnant," he said off-handily. I glared at him with a glare that could match Sesshomaru's.

"Never…" I growled. "Call. Me. Fat. You hear?" I asked. He gulped and stepped away a good six steps from where I sat.

"I got it! I got it! Besides, Kags…you have a nice figure. Your breasts are nice, bigger than Kikyo's, and your hips are very curvy," he gushed quickly before blushing. I raised an eyebrow at him before turning away with a scowl.

"No use mooching now," I grumbled.

"B-But…" he sighed. "You are very beautiful, Kagome. And you aren't fat. Not at all. In fact, you're pretty hot."

"Inuyasha…" I said slowly with a straight face. He looked up with a blush. "Think about what you've just said to me." He was silent for a few moments as he paled.

"Sesshomaru is going to fucking kill me!" He cried. I was about to scold him when I heard my little boy giggle.

"Fuck!" Natsuo cried. I dropped my mouth for the second time that day as I rushed over to the baby.

"Natsuo! That's a very bad word!" I scolded. He frowned at my disapproval and began to cry. I turned around and glared at Inuyasha.

"A-Ah…well…umm…" he hesitantly stepped backwards as he stuttered out excuses. A moody Kagome is nothing to be dealt with. I've taught this lesson to everyone who has known me.

I let Natsuo cry and cry until he stopped hiccupping. It killed me to watch him, but he had to learn that I wasn't going to tolerate that type of language. I wasn't going to go and calm him down this time—his tantrum just had to dwindle like a flame. Once he was finished I looked him square in the eye.

"Are you finished, Natsuo?" I asked.

He pouted before saying a firm, "No."

"Don't use that word, darling. It's a bad word. Uncle Inuyasha is a naughty boy. You're a good boy, Natsuo. Don't become like Uncle Inuyasha. Should Uncle Inuyasha get a punishment?" I asked. He nodded as I wiped away his tears.

"O God…Kagome…"

"Inuyasha," I said sternly. He straightened up. "I am the mistress of this household and you will follow my rules. I am boosting my cost up, buddy. Instead of one dollar for each bad word it's three. I'll milk you for everything you're worth if you don't stop it. Understand?"

He nodded, "Yeah, yeah. I'll stop for good this time."

"And another thing…" I began, my hands on my hips. "It rained a few nights ago and it might even rain this week. That means that the leaves are going to get stuck in the gutters…you might be able to help that, huh?"

We glared at each other for a while until I heard the front door open and close. I looked over the to the side to see Sesshomaru frantically searching around for me in the other room.

He saw me, smiled, and I waved. Book Boy took me in his arms and sighed.

"How are you feeling today?"

"Sick," I told him as he kissed my forehead. "And why are you home? Unless something happened at school?"

"Nothing. Seeing as I have a sick pregnant wife home only ten minutes away from the school, I decided to spend my lunch break here. Though I am only given thirty minutes total, I thought you'd enjoy the company," he explained. I blushed slightly at his explanation and smiled.

"That was very sweet of you, Sess. If I wasn't sick I'd give you a big kiss," I said before sitting him down at the table. He declined right away and made me sit in the seat he once occupied.

"Have you had lunch?" He asked. I nodded.

"Inuyasha made me some ramen…but that doesn't mean I won't talk to you while you eat. How is your day going?" I asked. He shrugged as he began getting stuff out to make a simple sandwich.

"All right. A nosy girl went through my personal belongings in my desk this morning and found a picture of both you and Natsuo. She made it a big discussion topic for first hour," he sighed as I smiled. "Does everyone assume I'm a bachelor?"

"Your friends still think you're a bachelor," Inuyasha chimed. Sesshomaru frowned as he sat down at the table.

"Friends?" I asked curiously as I sneezed. "What friends?"

"Inuyasha…" Sesshomaru growled, but he paid no mind.

"When he was in high school he always had his little posse. They were his yakuza buddies. They were all pretty close—"

"For the final time, you pathetic excuse for a human, those were _not _my friends. They befriended me to get closer to father. Are you so easily deceived, Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru growled fiercely. I observed Inuyasha who's look saddened by the comment as he glanced away.

"Sorry," he whispered. "I forgot about what happened…" Inuyasha raked his fingers through his hair as Sesshomaru ate silently. I looked at the two after their little spat had ended and decided to remain silent. Perhaps silence is what the two needed for a few moments.

I picked Natsuo up from his high chair and placed him in my lap. I helped him blow his nose before I sneezed into another tissue.

"Papa!" He smacked the table to get Sesshomaru's attention. Book Boy looked at his son.

"Yes, Natsuo?" He scrambled to get out of my lap so I let him. He darted out of the kitchen before returning with a picture book in his small hands. He went to his father and lifted the book to him.

"Papa!"

"What do you say, Natsuo?" I asked. He pouted and looked at him with big blue eyes. It took a few moments before he got the question out.

"Please, Papa?"

Sesshomaru sighed as he lifted the little boy dressed in a small pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt with a frog in the center. He opened the cardboard book and let Natsuo point to a picture. He would tell him the word and Natsuo would happily repeat.

"There's something else I wanted to tell you about," Sesshomaru said as he closed the small book. Natsuo didn't mind this time, however, became he was becoming tired against his father's chest. "Concerning school."

"Sure," I comforted, seeing that he was a bit troubled by it.

"There is a certain student assistant from a local college working with Dorothy. It's something normal for these schools…but that's not the issue. It's a female and," he said, but he didn't get to finish because I gave a large sigh.

"And she's mercilessly hitting on my poor husband? Well, I'll have to stop that and give a surprise appearance—you would think you'd be well known around your school. I probably was one of the only ones to go into labor there, huh?" I asked cheerfully before my nose decided to act up.

"Your nose is red," he observed.

"I know," I said meekly. "It looks hideous, doesn't it? I was told once I look like a mess when I'm sick. I think it was my mother that told me that…"

"I find it…cute," he said slowly, looking up from his plate to me. I blushed.

"You're the only one that can make me feel like this, you know?" I asked with a soft giggle. He smiled.

"Ooookay, I'm going to go check up on Kikyo now," Inuyasha said quickly, uncomfortable with the situation. When he left Sesshomaru shook his head.

"I'm making him clean the gutters," I told him as I waved to my baby. He raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever for?"

"He taught our little boy a new word." I scowled. "A bad new word."

"Which one?" He asked, looking down at the boy who was nearly asleep. I sighed.

"Inuyasha's favorite," I replied.

"He has many favorites," Sesshomaru remarked calmly. "Which one?"

"Well it starts with an F and ends with a K. Lovely, right? He said it minutes before you came home," I informed him. His fist clenched.

"Gutters, you say?"

"I can always add more if you want more?" I asked. He shook his head and leaned back in his chair. We were silent for a few minutes.

"…Why do you want no one to know you have me as a wife?"

"You know the answer," he said with a smirk.

"Stupid question, " I laughed nervously. We were enveloped back into a silence I didn't want.

"Will you visit me sometime when you can? I miss your old visits," he mumbled sheepishly. When I looked up at him he looked away so I couldn't see his face.

"You miss when I brought Natsuo in when he was a baby?" I asked. He nodded slowly before glancing at his watch.

"I have to go," he mumbled as he stood up. He took the now sleeping child and motioned for me to follow. I followed him out of the kitchen and into Natsuo's bedroom. He placed him in his little bed and tucked the blue blanket around him. We stood looking at our little boy for a few seconds before he placed his arms around me.

"I'm happy how our lives have turned out, Book Boy," I whispered lovingly to him as he kept me in his warm embrace. I heard him sigh as he clutched me tighter against his body.

"I know you are," he replied as his chin rest on the top of my head. "No matter what we go through, remember you are my wife. Don't let your sister or anyone else tell you otherwise."

"My sister?" I asked curiously.

"There is something behind this issue that is yet to be revealed, Kagome. I can't understand it all…" he mumbled with a frown. "I just can't understand." So was this what was actually troubling him?

"You've been thinking about it?"

"Very much so these days. Something doesn't make sense. It's not adding up…I understand Father finding Inuyasha and myself, but Kikyo? This is how it first started out, didn't it?" He mused more to himself than to me.

"I suppose…" I mumbled aloud. "But Kikyo borrowed a large sum of money and never returned it."

"Yes…you're right. But why would my father go to such lengths as to get Kikyo for the money?"

"Honey, you're thinking about this too much. Inuyasha and she left remotely the same time: he's looking for Inuyasha more than my sister," I spoke with softness as I caressed his cheek with my palm. "Don't worry yourself over it too much. That's the most logical explanation."

"I have a feeling there is more to this puzzle," he continued lamely, trying to get me to understand. I smiled comfortingly and shook my head.

"I don't think there's anything more than that, Sess. You should stop dwelling on it. Now I just want you to think of your job and your family. Please don't lose sleep over this?" I asked as I brushed his hair behind his ear. His smiled was small and defeated.

"You're right," he agreed. "Absolutely right."

"I usually am," I said jokingly. His smile widened a bit but his eyes still remained troubled. We locked gazes for a while before he checked a clock.

"Damn!" He whispered as to not wake the baby. He turned to me and pressed his lips against mine in a short, fierce kiss. "I have to go," he mumbled. He stared at me for a few seconds before kissing me again. "Talking to me has all ready lightened my spirits for the rest of my day."

"You really shouldn't say that," I sniffled. He kissed me once more. "You're going to get sick. I thought we told each other no intimacy until I get better?"

"I've done it once all ready; might as well make it worth my time," he joked, making me glare. He turned from my embrace and left with a, "I'll be home by four" and a wink. I shooed him along with a playful wave before my red hurting nose brought me back down from cloud nine.

"Damn colds!" I mumbled with certain dislike in my voice as I shuffled my way back to the inviting couch. But by the time I sat down and grabbed my latest novel, I realized something. What _if _there was something more to this story? What if it had nothing to do with my husband and brother-in-law and everything to do about Kikyo? What if it was exactly the opposite, and they were eluding me from getting any information?

Inuyasha's loud footsteps led me out of my musings. He sighed and crossed his arms upon seeing me on the couch, "My bastard brother leave yet?"

"He's gone," I informed him as he jumped over the back of the couch and made himself comfy. I placed down my novel with an inward sigh; I was reading before until Inuyasha decided to spend his boredom either hassling TV or the sick me. Either way I couldn't find peace so I ended up watching the television. Seems I'd be doing the same again.

"That's good," he gushed in relief as he spread his limbs over the couch. I frowned and coughed before giving him a glare.

"I should be getting the couch seeing as that I'm a) pregnant and b) sick. So move it, mister, before I bump more chores on your list," I threatened. He pouted and moved his limbs just like Naraku would do at a moment like this. It made me smile. It's a good thing Inuyasha is here; it makes me feel like Naraku is near, even though he's a few country away. He was my older brother replacement. They're both equally messy, rude, witty, and utterly hopeless. It's like I never left home!

"Inuyasha?" I asked as he began frantically searching through the stations on cable. He grunted to replace his voice. "Why is your father after us?"

His remote flipping stopped and he gave me a look I couldn't quite define. He was silent for a few moments before saying, "Are you a dumb broad or what? And I thought you were a smart chick too! You know the answer!"

"I am smart!" I told him hotly before trying to regain my sick composure. "But…"

"He wants both my ass and my brother's and that's that. What did you think he wanted?" He asked bluntly, raising both eyebrows to a point where I wanted to shave them off. It must be an annoying gene of the Taisho line that made me want to shave off the hair above their eyes. Perhaps their big thuggy father would make me feel the same way?

"I don't know," I mumbled. "Just…now I'm starting to doubt it." And I was starting to doubt the words that I spoke to comfort Book Boy. What if there was some hidden complication? What if he came to find us? What if he _did _find us?

"Don't worry about it, Kags. It's nothing to do with you," he comforted with a smile. As he reached to pat my head in an affectionate manner I smiled. Though he was trying to be nice and comfort me, I didn't believe his words. Now that Book Boy has brought up this little trouble of his I can only double think everything that has happened. Kikyo or brothers? Brothers or Kikyo? Who was to blame for our sudden hunting?

I felt a huge tickling in my nose and I lurched forward for the sneeze. The snot that slid on the skin of my palm was absolutely sickening; the hurting in my nose was worse. I hurriedly took the tissue Inuyasha held out and cleaned off my gunk-filled hand. Before I could say another word I felt the same sensation as before.

A-A-ACHOO!

…God, I hate being sick.

* * *

A filler chapter full of fluff. This is my last update for the next two weeks when I'm in Cali. I'm leaving tomorrow and I decided to leave you off with this chapter. 

Now, for a bigger question: Does this Kagome satisfy you? I've been getting a few reivews saying she's different, and, truthfully, she is. But do you enjoy how I'm plotting this story? There, of course, is a bigger plot that I'm leading into, but your ideas are getting very helpful. I think I'm going to add a cute little Rin/John scene next where Rin tells Sess and Kags that they're going to get married. Sess might have a stroke. I'm not certain yet.

Review, chums! REVIEW!

_WARNING: P.S. MIGHT CONTAIN A SPOILER H.P. MOMENT! SKIP IF YOU ARE YET TO READ THE DEATHLY HOLLOWS! _

**(P.S. DOOOOO NOOOOOOTTTTT OWWWWWWNNNNNN HAAAAAAARRRRYYYYY POOOOOOOOOTTER! Anyone read the seventh? AH, it was magnificent! But I apologize for doubting you Snape, my favorite H.P character of all time. I'm so sorry! I love you: that is why you're in this chapter.)**

_...Is that even a spoiler?_


	7. The Curious Incident of Dog in Nighttime

Chapter 7: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

I sat in my haven, quiet and content. When was the last time I had some 'me' time? It's been so very long. And I probably won't have time like this again in a long time either. Perhaps I should just sit, take it in, and hope to God nothing disrupts me.

My child is with Sesshomaru today, and so I am alone, perfectly calm, in my new library. I didn't like it as much, and much of the literature was English, but it still was a library. This was as close as I could get to the one back in Japan.

Should I describe it for you? The floors were a dull gray carpet, not the regular mismatched blue I was used to. The shelves were shorter, and the chairs all matched. And they weren't red and purple. They had to be brown suede that tickles your legs when you sit in it.

I miss my library so much. Damn you, Inu no Taisho. Damn Sesshomaru for having a gang boss for a father.

I sighed. I'm not much of a complainer, but this certainly is getting tiring. Is someone watching me right now? That man over in the black is looking quite intimidating.

I shut my book, _The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time_ and frowned. Now that I felt someone was watching me, I didn't feel like reading anymore.

I have so many books to read! They are all different titles, and different authors, but my life is just so hectic…I'd read them if I could, but my baby needs most of my attention. The brat is going to be the death of me.

O well, I birthed it and another brat is on the way. I should just get over my petty thoughts and be thankful for the family I have. Book Boy is the best man for me and I know it. There's no reason being fickle with this perfectly fine life of hiding…

…I did it again, didn't I?

As I stood up, I swept my long hair behind me. Did I do the right thing marrying Book Boy? Of course I did! That's a very silly question. It was completely worth it. I have my baby, my two other growing babies, and my faithful husband…but why does it feel like something's missing?

"It's because you live in America now," I whispered to myself, strolling out of the library with my rented book in toll. Yes, now that I was living in America, I was missing part of my culture. I'm missing that Japan part of my heart. I missed the library that was so dear to me, the mother who cared for me, and the brother who never failed to piss me off. Now that that's gone…life just feels so…well, so blah.

It's too calm. I never had an eventful life, but now with Inu no Taisho on our tails, I feel like something should happen and happen fast. I thought this drama would strike us at once…it's just so gradual…it's making me feel like some type of prey being hunted by a hungry lion.

Once I meet Inu no Taisho, I'll tell him my mind. I'll curse him to the seven hells. Total damnation is what he'll get for having my family so jittery! For making Book Boy worry all the time! He's starting to get some real worry lines on his forehead, and it's all because of his damn father!

These thoughts led me thinking of Book Boy. How was he fairing with Natsuo? I feel a smidge guilty for leaving the baby with him instead of taking him with me to work, but I just couldn't…they were probably at school now. Book Boy said he would bring Natsuo into his work one day and he does what he promises.

I looked timidly down the street. Would he be angry with me if I stopped by for a while? I suppose he wouldn't. He never gets too angry with me.

Deciding I would stop by the school, I started my walk. From eating so much junk food this week, I felt like I needed to get the weight off and get out. So I walked three miles here and it'll take three more to get to the school.

Seeing a bus at the nearby bus stop, I pouted. My legs hurt…

The exercise, Kagome! The exercise!

B-But…the bus will be nice and warm…it's not too warm out today…

I dashed towards the bus and quickly climbed on, giving the bus driver my money and getting a seat near the middle. Satisfied, I waited for the stop closest to the school.

All right, I'm lazy. Sue me. I'll just feel satisfied I ran to get this bus.

Book Boy will be disappointed I rode the bus, that's for sure. He has something against public transportation—it might be the prissy side of him talking, but he really hates me riding the bus. I always tell him it's needed sometimes, but he doesn't listen. He'd rather have me pay twenty dollars to get a taxi rather than spend two dollars to ride the bus (my money assumptions sound too much, but I'm not in a mood to get into my wallet and look up what a bus fare costs.)

Once I was off the cozy bus and into the windy neighborhood, I set off down the block to the high school. It sounds kind of silly, but I've only been to his school a few times, and most of those times I was pregnant. That was when that little freshman boy (was his name Patrick?) gave me the weird look. That was the day I went into labor…

I went into labor at my husband's work facility…what was wrong with me? Seriously! In all the places to have a baby, I just had to pick a high school! Those poor students were probably scarred for life…

O well. It makes a good story, anyways.

A school bus rushed by, sending my dress into the air. I pulled a Marilyn Monroe and pushed down the purple mass of cloth. The nerve of that stupid yellow bus! I'm not in some damn movie!

…If I was in a movie, what movie would I be in? Romance? No. Thriller? Perhaps. My life could be made into a thriller movie with all the yakuza on our tails!

I snorted. What joy that would be. It would definitely fall off the charts.

As I strolled up the steps, my dress settled and my legs freezing from the wind, I entered the building. I smiled at the lockers. It just made me smile to think Book Boy's dream of becoming a teacher had come true. I helped make it happen (O my, I think I might be blushing at the memory!)

My heels clicked against the tiles rhythmically. As I neared his room (I snuck from the main office so I wouldn't be stopped and given a green tag) I sped up.

"He's so cute, Mr. Higurashi!" A girl cried. Remaining students were skirting into their next classes so they wouldn't be late. "Are you taking him to the Pep Rally?"

"I'm indecisive. My wife will want him home to have a nap soon, and the rally might make him cranky," he replied smoothly. I smiled as I leaned against the doorframe. The boy squealed as he first saw me before crying, "Mama! Mama!"

I scooped him up in my arms and kissed his cheek. "You're just getting all the girls attention, aren't you, my little boy?" I cooed. Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow.

"It was a matter of time you came. Class, this is my wife. Wife, this is my class," he introduced as the girls crowded the desk he was sitting on. I approached him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"How has Natsuo been?"

"Wonderful. In the morning he was a little tired, but he's as lively as ever with the girls crowding him," Sesshomaru greeted as he allowed me to kiss his cheek once more.

"That's nice," I said as I stroked my baby's head. "How are you, baby boy?"

"Mama!" He squealed again and all the girls squealed with him.

"He's so darling, Mrs. Higurashi!" A girl with blonde hair gushed as I held the boy close.

"Natsuo, she just gave you a compliment. Darling, say 'thank you'," I said. He pouted for a moment and I smiled. "Thank you."

"Dank you," he nearly screamed, happy as can be, as he began bouncing. I handed him over to his father, whom still remained sitting on a desk.

"He really has been no trouble at all?" I asked him. Sesshomaru shook his head.

"Don't worry, Kagome," he assured. "He's been completely innocent…besides for the shirt incident…"

"Shirt incident?" I repeated, suspicious. He smiled slightly and said,

"It was rather humorous. He pulled the back of one girl's outfit that had a string, and her top nearly came off, if it wasn't for the girl behind her who saw it happen."

"That's horrible!" I cried. A girl with red hair blushed very vibrantly near the back of class. "Natsuo, you little brat…my darling, darling, little brat…"

"Is that healthy, Mrs. Higurashi?" A blonde boy asked. "Calling your kid a brat and all?"

"He's a tough one," I replied, kissing his temple. "Just like his papa. He has to be around me all day, and that's sayin' something."

The bell rang and the girls said their last good byes. My brat, sad to see all his girlfriends go, waved and pouted for a good five minutes. I sighed.

"He's gonna be one hell of a lady killer…" I smiled as I kissed Sesshomaru's cheek. "Just like his old man! Temping all the ladies with books!"

He smiled slightly at my teasing and patted Natsuo's head as he pulled his chair up to his computer. I pouted at that action, but he sent me a look that said he didn't forget me, no, he knew I was obviously there, but he needed to do some work. And that made me sigh.

"How was your day off?" He asked softly.

"It was all right, at first…" I began as my little boy snuggled into my breast, yawning a little. "But then I grew paranoid."

"Paranoid?"

"Yes," I agreed. "Paranoid."

"Of what?"

"You should know," I replied sheepishly. "I really shouldn't have thought anybody was following me, but I just had that creepy feeling…you know…it just gave me the shivers."

Book Boy didn't turn to acknowledge me for he was thinking. I hated to make him think like this. When he thought too much about this issue, he really got worried. He got so worried that I just wanted to forget everything that happened with his father.

"I see…" He whispered. "You must have just been paranoid then."

"You think so?" I asked, my voice hushed. He nodded and turned slanted golden eyes towards me.

"Did anyone seem suspicious? Where were you?" He asked.

"The library," I told him. "Nowhere special. But there was this one guy…I doubt he was part of anything, though. He met a woman there thirty minutes into my reading. I watched him carefully…"

"What did this woman look like?"

"Brown hair, a weird feather in her hair. It didn't look like she spoke very good English," I said as I stroked Natsuo's hair. I swore I saw Sesshomaru's eyes widen, if only a little bit, and I cringed. Were my suspicions of that man correct?

"I would forget about it," he advised as he turned his chair to me. "I don't need you working up your emotions and risk a miscarriage."

I nodded in agreement and told him, "I think you're right."

He opened his mouth to reply, but he didn't have time to; a loud 'SESS!' interrupted us both. I raised an eyebrow and he sighed loudly and massaged his temple.

"God…" I heard him mumble. My eyebrows drew together and I tried to think of who would squeal his name so loudly…or who would be on a first name basis with him.

"Sess?" I asked. "I swore I just heard your name called. Am I going daffy?"

"Not in the least," he groaned. "She'll be here in a moment. Brace yourself."

Brace myself? Who in the world was he talking about? Of course it was a female, because no man, nor gay man, in her right mind would squeal a name down a hallway that sounded almost like a shrill cry of a bird. I saw a hand reach in before it followed with an arm, to a shoulder, and finally a chest with a waist and long legs.

The woman, of course, was beautiful, and I couldn't believe that she would sound like a dying cat. Was it the same one who screamed my husband's name?

"I'm so sorry, Sess," another woman said with a loud sigh. "Anna just wanted to see you so badly. Absolutely ecstatic to talk to you."

"Dorothy," Sesshomaru greeted before he looked at the very perky blonde that I could see he was not fond of. "Anna."

"Why, Kagome, long time no see!" Dorothy greeted me. I smiled at her and nodded.

"It's a pleasure seeing you again. How's Marcus?" I asked, inquiring on her teenage son. He had babysat for Natsuo, Rin, and Shippou a few times before, and the boy is just a darling. He was always so polite and he graduated just this year.

"He's just dandy! Got accepted into Michigan University, the dog," Dorothy replied happily, a proud mother indeed. "And looky there! How are you, Natsuo?"

The baby yawned and nuzzled closer to me. Dorothy laughed, "You look a little tired there, buddy!"

Dorothy and I chuckled.

"He's been very tired lately after running all around the house," I replied, stroking his silver hair. "It's a pain getting him to sleep like this. When he has a nap during the day, it's assured he sleeps during the night!"

"Children, what can you do?" Dorothy asked. "Sess here tells me you're about to have another? 's that true or is he just trying to pull my leg?"

"It's fully true!" I giggled. Sess pull a leg? How funny! Though the statement is a manner of speech, wouldn't it be funny to see him try and pull someone's leg? "I'm not very far into it. Two months at most."

"Doesn't look like you put on any weight yet," she observed. "Probably best, right?"

"I'll avoid it as long as I can," I agreed. We both smiled. Out of all of Sess's coworkers, Dorothy was the one with the nicest personality. There were others I have met, sure, but they didn't have the pure sweetness Dorothy possessed.

"Sess, dear, who is this?" Anna asked, quite astounded too. I cringed at her voice. Who killed a bird? Anna did!

O my, it seems I need to get my sarcasm in check or it might leak out. Was this the girl Sesshomaru told me about when I was sick? The weird little intern with the shrill voice?

"This, Anna, is my wife Kagome and my son Natsuo," he introduced, smirking lightly with a sparkle in his eyes. He just loved showing us off to his co-workers.

"It's very nice to meet you. When did you start interning here?" I asked politely. She pouted a bit.

"I started just a few months ago," she said, her squeaky voice squeaking to it's fullest. I nodded and smiled.

"That's wonderful," I told her. "I hope you become a teacher someday."

"Yeah," she said bashfully. "I want to be as good of a teacher as Sess is. That's my dream!"

O, Sesshomaru, what a cute little fangirl you have.

"Hear that, Sess?" I asked, trying to control my giggles. "It seems you're a hero." I smiled a bit as he gave me a look. "You'll always be my hero?"

"Hn," he mumbled, though obviously pleased that I had shown off in front of Anna.

"What's the party doing in here?" A man asked as he banged the door frame. I smiled and waved.

"Hiyya, David. How are you?" He was another fellow teacher who taught two doors down from my Book Boy. He also taught literature, but for seniors and sophomores. Sesshomaru teaches freshman and juniors.

"Ah, Kagome! You're looking skinny from the last time I saw you," he joked, pushing his dark cropped hair back. I smiled brightly.

"How're your brats in class these days?"

"The little pot-smokers?" He asked before sighing. "Still smoking pot, I believe."

"You're crazy, Dave," Dorothy said, shaking her head. He shrugged.

"Comes with the personality," he responded before stepping in the room, inviting himself in. "And now is this yours, Sess?"

"What other child would have silver hair, Dave?" Sess asked, the humor showing in his voice. "Yes, that is my son."

"You know, everyone wonders about your hair. You can't be prematurely gray and you aren't an albino," David said, doing a quirky little smile. "So what is your secret?"

"Very odd genetics," my husband replied.

"Got Kagome's eyes," David observed. "He's gonna be quite the looker."

"They have another on the way," Dorothy chimed.

"Another?" David asked, astounded. "Congratulations. Still going at it, I see?"

"We'll never be stopped," I joked. "Besides, we want a decent sized family. With Rin, Shippou, Natsuo, and soon this little guy, I'm certain our house will be plenty full."

Sesshomaru smiled and I smiled back before adding an after note, "I have a appointment this Saturday. Don't let me forget, all right?"

"You forget everything," he sighed. "Sure. I'll write it down. What time is it?"

"Two."

"You'll get there," he said, writing down something in his planner. David sighed as the bell rang.

"I gotta go. Little crack addicts are probably swinging from my projector screen right now or sniffing through my files," he grinned. "It was nice seeing you again, Kagome. I'd like to see you again when you're a blimp, if you don't mind?"

"Of course, Dave," I told him, giggling as I did so. He smiled and pointed at my husband.

"Keep an eye on her, buddy. I remember when my wife was pregnant and it was pure hell," he said before patting Natsuo's head. "But it's worth it in the end."

"Completely," Dorothy responded. "I have to be getting to class too. Nice seeing you Kagome. Sess, I'll talk you later."

Before Anna could even squawk a shrill, "Bye-Bye" Dorothy, whom was following David, pulled her out of the room.

"What fun people," I mumbled. He nodded in reply. "So that was Anna?"

"That was Anna. Completely Anna," he replied, leaning back in his chair, throwing his feet on the desk.

"Is the day over yet?"

"Practically," he told me. "I don't have a seventh hour. I use this time for students to come in for help, or to do my work."

"How much work do you have?" I asked, wiggling my eyebrows in a very silly way. He smiled slightly.

"You want me to come home now, is that right?" He asked.

"Of course," I chirped. "How much work do you have?"

"I have tests to grade," he said softly. I pouted. "…But I suppose my students can way an extra day or two."

I leaned down and gave him a short kiss on the lips.

"You're just a doll," I whispered. He kissed me again and stood up.

"Shut the windows while I get my bag ready," he said, pointing to the corner of the room where two windows were open. I complied quickly with the sleeping babe in my arms. By the time I had wedged the pesky windows down, Sesshomaru was nearly finished placing all of his documents in his briefcase.

"Is Kikyo still in her room?" He asked as I flipped the light switch off. I gave him a glare and stuck my nose up in the air in a very haughty manner.

"Do you think I know or care?" I asked stiffly. He sighed.

"Kagome…"

He locked his door and took the baby from my arms into his. I frowned at him and looked away. Kikyo didn't need to be in this conversation!

"Why do you always inquire about her anyway?" I mumbled. "She's not special or anything."

"Because, Kagome, she is my sister-in-law. Because you are my wife, and she is your family, she is my family. No matter how evil you may, in fact, find her to be, she is still living under our roof and we must take responsibility of that."

I pouted. I didn't like being lectured by Book Boy. It made me feel all nasty inside. Like I did something wrong and I was being punished for it. This made me pout more, and as we put Natsuo in his child's seat in the back, I still had my pout on my face. Sesshomaru sighed.

"You're checking up on her when we get back home," he told me. "No ands, ifs, or buts."

"B-But she's mean!" I protested. "She called me fat when I was sick! It was totally uncalled for!"

"Kagome, you are acting childish," he pointed out, obviously disappointed in me. I quieted for a moment and looked at his shoes. O my, it looks like there's a scratch on them…

"…You have a scratch on your shoes."

"I know," he said, smiling a little before placing a kiss on my forehead. "You are too darling sometimes it's beyond me to deny you anything."

"A woman's charm," I mumbled, smiling a little back up at him before asking, quite cutely too, "Do I have to check up on Kikyo still?"

"Yes," he said simply, opening my door and pushing me in. I pouted as he shut it softly and took the driver's seat.

It seem Sess always bugs me about Kikyo these days…really, he does. This is the second time this week he's talked to me privately about her. He never asks about Inuyasha…but Inuyasha is a whole other category by himself, I suppose. Hmm…

I'm not accusing my husband of anything. I know that he, for a fact, would never do anything to jeopardize our relationship like Inuyasha did. He knew how bad that scarred me. And there is also the fact that's he's completely in love with me too. So there is no reason to assume that he's trying to get cuddly with my sister. He's merely worried about her well-being and…and…and…

Could Kikyo be a major part in this puzzle? I told Book Boy to forget about it, but does he still have suspicions that Kikyo may hold some answers?

…That's ridiculous. Kikyo is just some bimbo with no intellectual stimulation. The only stimulation she gets is through sexual activities, and even that keeps her only occupied for a short amount of time.

I should just discard this thought from my mind. It's nothing, really. Kikyo is just, as I have said, a bimbo. There was no way she could get herself into something this sticky. So she took some money? Big deal. Inu no Taisho wouldn't search half around the world just for a measly slut stealing a measly amount, right?

…I wonder, how much is this measly amount?

_Yo, yah reached Naraku's smokingly sexy messaging machine (complete with silver buttons and all). Leave a message, hot stuff. And if you're related to me in any way, just make it short. **Beep**_

"Naraku, honey," I said in the phone receiver, "Call me back when you get the chance. I have a few questions I need to ask about you know who and all…I'm in no hurry. I'll just speak with you later. Love you."

I sighed. He's never home these days. Probably trying to score whatever chick he can find…unless he's still dating that woman (was her name Kagura?) I'm so horrible at names these days, for whatever reason. I just remember their relationship being clearly twisted. But that is the epitome of my brother. Twisted.

"Go check on her," Sesshomaru demanded as Rin and Shippou walked in. I noticed a third head and ignored my husband's demand.

"Darlings, it looks like you're home! And you brought a friend, Rin?" I asked, bubbly and full of life. The little boy smiled shyly and I could see he was missing a tooth. "It's nice to see you again, John."

"Hi, Rin's Mama," he greeted.

I smiled, "How about you go and get settled for your play date and I'll make something yummy. How does hot chocolate sound, with animal shaped marshmallows?"

All the children nodded, dropped their bags and shoes, and ran into the next room where the TV was placed.

"Who is that?" Sesshomaru asked, raising an eyebrow. "I clearly don't remember meeting that boy. Is he a friend of Shippou's?"

"That's Rin's _boyfriend_," I teased. He stiffened and glared at me.

"You are quite cruel," he murmured. "Now tell me who that boy really is."

"He's just that," I told him. "Rin's _boyfriend_!"

He gave me a very, very, VERY dark look and I hesitated just a bit. It seems he still wasn't fond of the idea of his daughter, even at the innocent kindergartner age, having a boyfriend.

"Upstairs. Check on your sister. NOW," he growled. Now I clearly wasn't going to not do what he said. He had a very scary look on his face. That scary of a look said you better do it, and if you don't do it you're gonna pay. I don't want to receive another look of disappointment. It seems he's getting on his last nerve with me and Kikyo…

I trudged upstairs knowing there was no way out of this. How had I become so childish? I'm not sure when I did, but if I'm getting Book Boy, the calmest guy on the planet Earth, annoyed with me, perhaps I'm doing something wrong. I hold a deep grudge for my sister (who wouldn't?) She put me in such turmoil that nobody else could even dream. But could I hold this hate for so many years? I suppose so, if I'm this reluctant to knock on her door.

I came face to face with the white painted wood and knocked on it slowly. I heard a distant, "Come in, Inuyasha" and I opened the door, even though I'm not Inuyasha. When I entered, her room stunk so bad I didn't know what to say. So I gagged instead.

She was sprawled on her bed in a pink robe, her eyes pink and puffy from crying. She sniffled a bit and her eyes widened as she noticed who I was.

"Kikyo…why are you crying?" I asked softly, shutting the door behind me. She sniffled more and bolted up, her defensive position clearly noticed.

"I'm not crying," she retorted lamely before glaring at me. "What are you doing in here?"

"Sess wanted me to check up on you," I said, my voice hush. "I know we aren't on the greatest terms but…"

"But what?" She spat. I frowned a little and pointed at her.

"All right, missy! That is no way to talk to the mistress of this household! I've just about had it with you, moping about all day and night," I said sternly. "I'm not going to ask you about what sent you in this state, but I am going to make you get the hell out of it."

I took the incense burning in a cigarette holder and wrinkled my nose.

"What are you doing?" She asked, her eyes wide.

"Throwing away this incense. Your room smells like a rotting corpse," I said shaking my head. "Next you're going to dress in decent clothes. Get out of your robe. Then you're going to have dinner with the family." As I went to throw away the incense, I smelt another horrible smell from the trashcan in her room. I gasped as I saw the past week's rotten food wasting away at the bottom of the basket.

"Get out!" She cried. "OUT!"

"Have you been eating?" I demanded. "Answer me, Kikyo! Have you not been eating?"

"I don't have to tell you anything, Kagome! Get out of my room!"

I smirked a little, "I feel like we're kids again."

"This is no time for reminiscing," she growled. We glared at each other for several moments, blue clashing against brown. I then sighed, defeated, and threw the incense with the rotting food in the trashcan.

"Why do we do this to ourselves?" I asked. "God dammit, we're sisters and we don't even act like it."

She didn't respond.

"I'm throwing away this trash and incense. I want you at dinner when I call you," I told her. "Family must always be present for dinner. Call it a new rule in this household."

"You can't make me!"

"No, I can't," I said smoothly. "And I won't make you. But you owe it to my husband downstairs to eat at that table. He's been worried about you and so has Inuyasha. He got you out of Japan when you were in trouble and now he's allowing you his home and food for free. If only for that reason, come to the dinner table and eat with us. You owe him at least that much."

I turned from her, holding the nasty trash can at arm's length, and walked out the door. The smell was absolutely wretched and I felt bile rising in my throat. But I quickly swallowed that feeling away and took the basin outside where I dumped it's remains and gave it a very good scrub down with the hose.

Kikyo, my stupid sister. I don't like you. I never liked you. I will never like you. But can I be concerned for someone I don't like? You clearly have an eating disorder and I can't help you. Whatever brought you to that state?

When I entered the kitchen to get a garbage bag to put in the wastebasket, I came in to hear Sesshomaru and Inuyasha arguing.

"I swear I saw her!"

"You couldn't have! She's all the way in China!"

"Well, I swore I saw her stalking around outside," Inuyasha growled, raising a finger to the window. "I swear she's here!"

"Who's here?" I asked, interrupting. They both froze, mouths midway open to retort to the other. I raised my eyebrow as I placed the basket on the floor. "Come on, boys. Who's here and what's getting you so worked up?"

"No one," Inuyasha quickly gushed. "No one at all."

I turned my look to Book Boy who nodded in agreement. I sighed and shook my head.

"All right, then," I told them. "I'm in no mood to squander my time and get it out of you. What do you want for dinner? Its take out night."

"Pizza!" Inuyasha cried. "Two big family size pizzas." One was probably for him alone.

"Is pizza fine with you?" I asked Sesshomaru. He nodded, sweeping his shoulder length silver strands behind his ear.

"I am in no position to argue," he agreed. I sighed and held the waste basket out to Inuyasha.

"Can you return this to Kikyo for me, please? And take a fan in there. It reeks."

He nodded quickly and left. Sesshomaru watched me with gentle eyes and I met his gaze with a tired smile.

"How are you?" He asked. I sighed.

"I've had better days."

"What did your sister say? Will she be eating dinner with us tonight?" He asked. I shrugged.

"I did all I can, Sess. Words can only take me so far. It's up to her what she wants to do with them," I said, walking to the phone. He stopped me with an arm around my waste and his lips against my ear.

"I'm proud of you," he whispered.

"Whatever for?"

"For speaking with your sister civilly. I didn't hear any yelling or fuss coming from upstairs and for that I am grateful. Thank you," he said, and I could tell he was completely sincere.

"You're welcome. What do you want on your pizza?"

"Whatever you find fit. Just no anchovies," he mumbled, placing his lips against my neck. My smile lightened and I nodded.

"I can do that."

Once the pizza was ordered, John was returned home, and my baby Natsuo was awake, we all gathered around the table. Rin and Shippou did the settings cheerfully and I instructed them to place another for Kikyo.

She never came.

* * *

I did it! I DID IT! 

Sorry for the obnoxiously long wait. Thank you for those who have been plaguing me with messages telling me to get back on my story. Really, all I need are a few insults and I'll try and be on my way. If you find this one rushed, I can agree with you a tad. But I'm sure you're happy that it's better than nothing. I've had such a bad case of writer's block.

Kikyo will become a major role in this story from this point on. You can all ready tell something's wrong...but what? **Dun dun DUHH!!!**

Yell at me. I know you want to for me updating this so late. I've become one of those people I despise: the people that write stories and just leave you hanging with annoying cliffhangers. I'm sorry to those I've upset. I've even upset myself.

I don't know when I'll update next, to warn you. I have a new puppy needing attention and exams are fastly approaching. During winter break (less than three weeks away!) I'll update more. Maybe I can even get the next chapter started this Thanksgiving break?

Happy Turkey Day!

Lilith-dono

**_(HELP FIND MISTAKES!!!)_**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

(Fair warning, this isn't going to flow well. It's almost as if time has passed since the last chapter, so imagine it that way. For more info, check the author's note at the bottom.)

* * *

Everything had gone to hell, no joke. I stood there attempting to prevent myself from hyperventilating from the sheer madness of it all. Forcing myself to think of the child in my womb was harder than it seemed at the moment. The babe wouldn't benefit from their mother having a panic attack, but by God I was one step away from having a royal freak out. I clutched my round stomach and stared widely at such a scene, but I couldn't force myself to call for someone, Book Boy in particular. I had become immobile and for good reason too.

The mysterious woman from the library that I had briefly seen had somehow entered unannounced into my home earlier today. I didn't know how recently she had broken in, but one glance at the glass in the kitchen led to some sort of indication that we had a burglar. Of course I wasn't intelligent enough to call my husband, who was out with Inuyasha and Natsuo for a "manly chat" and instead cautiously followed the trail upstairs. And now I was in this predicament with a gun shoved in my direction with a furious feather wearing woman glaring at my sister.

Kikyo looked horrid, per normal, but there was a gleam in her eye that I didn't like. She looked dead…she was simply too calm in a situation like this. I couldn't believe that my spirited older menace of a sibling had that eerie look of morbid acceptance on her face. Like she was prepared to be shot, have her life taken like it was no big deal. My lips quivered as I attempted to say something, but the woman shook the gun at me in fair warning that she wasn't afraid to pull the trigger.

"You," she hissed in broken English, her accent strong as she glared at me. "You hide traitor!"

"Traitor…?" I asked softly to myself before furiously shaking my head. "I didn't know…she's my sister."

"Sister?" she asked, glancing down at Kikyo with her red eyes. Kikyo responded in a foreign tongue, making the woman wearing the feather nod. The gun lowered, though I noticed it was still held on guard.

"Kikyo, what's going on?" I asked nervously.

"Kagura has found me," she replied after a long pause. Her eyes closed for a moment before glancing over at me with a wry smile. "I am within Inu no Taisho's grasp. He's here in this city as we speak."

"Then why the fuck are we still in this city?" I gaped, eyes widened in fright. "What about Inuyasha and Sesshomaru—"

"He's most likely intercepted them," Kikyo responded dully. "Sesshomaru will handle it fine, no doubt."

"But what about my baby?!" I tried not to shriek, my hands trembling as I pressed my palm against my mouth in intense concern. Would Inu no Taisho attempt to hurt my precious boy? Would he abduct him to gain Sesshomaru's broken acceptance of taking over his yakuza to save his son's life?

Kikyo slipped into that foreign tongue once more, her voice cracking only momentarily as the woman deemed Kagura spat something at her and lifted it towards my direction. For the first time in my life, I felt pure unadulterated dread. Kikyo was hushing the woman now in smooth tones, her hands resting in the air gently to get her to calm down. I looked at her in gratitude as the gun was once again lowered from my person.

"Don't let her shoot," I pleaded, my arm still wrapped around my pregnant stomach in defense.

"I won't," Kikyo assured, her chapped lips pressed together firmly. "Don't worry."

"But—" I retorted, though she cut me off sharply.

"Don't worry," she repeated. Kagura spat something, threatening Kikyo with an angry timbre. I watched in fright as Kikyo gave her a reply before receiving a harsh slap to the skin of her right cheek. She fell roughly without struggle on the bed like a limp rag doll, still dressed in her ratty pink robe. I wanted to rush to her, to see if she was all right, but I remained glued to my position. Even if she never treated me fairly when we were young, I now understood Book Boy's insistence at trying to make us be civil towards one another. Underneath it all, we were sisters and shared the same blood. It made me furious and hurt to see her in that position, but I still had to recall I had a child to look after. I couldn't go rushing forward making stupid mistakes. If novels have taught me anything, a foolish heroine has the least chance of survival.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly, my voice barely above a whisper. I felt that somehow she heard me because she began to lean up on her elbow without a word. The tension increased as she lifted herself back up, her cheek now inflamed. I looked Kagura over in the silence, now giving a good chance to assess her. She wore a deep plum shirt that showed a modest amount of cleavage and a blood red skirt. Her brown hair was twisted in a stylish updo with three strange white feathers sticking out from where the hair was pinned. Her lips were the same red to match her skirt, and her eyes sparkled with malice. She looked threatening, pure and simple.

Her name struck me as something similar, as well as her tone. I paused for a moment before forcing courage into my veins as I spoke in my native tongue, "Do you know of an Onigumo?"

Her eyes flashed as her grip on the gun tightened, but she nodded warily. "I do," she agreed. "How do you know of Onigumo?"

"He's a good friend of mine," I lied easily. "Please, put the gun down."

"I can't do that," she replied, scowling. "Not until I receive the signal."

I had to admit her Japanese was much better than her English, although her native tongue must've been the one Kikyo was speaking in. It sounded something similar to Mandarin, but I was unsure.

"What signal?" I ventured. Kagura frowned.

"I cannot tell you," she replied. "But if its the right word, then you both are in a good deal of trouble."

I frowned deeply before feeling a deep ache in my back. I glanced at her and then to the chair. "May I sit?"

Kagura glanced me over, her eyes observing my round stomach before she nodded. I could see the flash of understanding in her eyes, a flash of pity. Perhaps this woman wasn't as cold as she made herself to be.

"Do you have any kids?" I asked her through the tense silence. She froze before she shook her head.

"No…but I have baby sister," she murmured.

"How old is she?" I asked.

"Eight," she replied softly. "She has disease."

"I'm sorry," I told her truthfully. I could feel Kikyo's eyes on me intently and I glanced over to her to see her shaking her head ever so slightly. I couldn't interpret if she wanted me to stop, or that she could hardly believe I was sympathizing with my captor of the moment.

"You know I am your husband's intended," Kagura said after a moment. I froze suddenly as Kikyo did, looking at her in surprise. Sesshomaru's intended? Who the hell determined that when he was obviously married? I was about to open my mouth, but she gave me a strong, fierce gaze. "Business arrangement…which I am not open to."

"…because of Onigumo?" I asked. Her lips twisted after a moment before she gave me a curt nod.

"Yes," she agreed. Well, I couldn't help but be very glad at the moment that Naraku had managed to catch the attention of this strange and warped female. Talking helped relieve a certain tension around Kikyo.

Suddenly a high pitch tone came from Kagura's pocket. I watched in intense trepidation as she lifted the device to her ear and wordlessly listened to the speaker. After a moment of speaking in her native tongue, she flipped the phone off.

"Up," she instructed. I managed to get myself up as Kikyo got off the bed. "You come with me. Both of you."

"Are you…?" I asked, not about to vocalize my worries. Kagura shook her head.

"I take you to boss. Let us go."

She corralled us into her small car before going into the city. I felt an uneasiness well in me as I thought back on everything I knew about kidnappings—weren't we not supposed to know the destination of the hide out? Was it even a hide out?

"Where are we going?" I asked. I might as well ask for the sake of it, but Kagura shrugged it off. Kikyo lightly touched the roundness of my shoulder, but only for less than a second.

"Stop asking questions," she instructed, her eyes still dull and lifeless. "This the moment we've been preparing for."

"Preparing?" I asked incredulously. "Preparing?! Like hell I've been preparing for this! I just wanted to live a modest life with my family and—and! God!"

"I know," Kikyo grimaced. "I know."

"Then why did you get in that debt?" I asked her seriously. "It's put us in so many problems, Kikyo. So many problems."

"I," she began, her voice wavering. She then closed her lips, refusing to allow any more words to pass. She wasn't about to explain everything, and I hoped that everything would be cleared soon. If not, I'm afraid that our lives would be forfeit and it'd all be because my stupid sister couldn't control her monetary problems.

Kagura demanded that we stopped talking, which wasn't a big issue in the first place since Kikyo abruptly clammed up. The baby roughly punched my ribs and I groaned slightly at the impact. Why couldn't I go through one pregnancy without something ridiculous happening? With Natsuo, I had broken up with Book Boy under the pretense that he was conning me and had two of the most miserable months of my life. Now I'm kidnapped!

…I'm beginning to wonder if I should've never responded to his Romeo & Juliet bait at the library because this kind of life is just a little too action filled for me to handle.

I noticed the car stopped and Kagura helped me get out. I hid my eyes from the sun and glanced up at the reflective glass windows of a giant upscale building. My eyebrows drew in confusion as I noticed the name of the city's best hotel before another man who joined Kagura escorted me in. Kikyo was trailing behind us, clearly satisfied to keep silent. I wondered how she could keep so calm during this entire episode that was so frightening.

The man behind me pushed me a little roughly into the elevator, but Kagura surprisingly snapped at him in my defense. Or I supposed it was in my defense since he scowled at me and took the farthest corner of the small area. Kikyo stood next to me and I could see her thin body shaking ever so slightly. So she was afraid of what was to come despite her cool appearance. I gently took her hand in my own, hoping to give her some sort of comfort. She didn't glance at me, but I hoped she felt my guilt for being so rough on her during her stay. Maybe it was the pregnant hormones talking, but I felt a sudden rush of sympathy. She was the one at the center of this entire ordeal, the one being trapped like a mouse. Despite the stress it put on me, it was her who felt everything.

"I'm sorry," I told her. She looked at me strangely, but otherwise tightened her grip on my hand.

Once we arrived at the eighteenth floor, we were escorted out of the elevator and down two hallways to the last room on the far right wing of the building. Kagura opened the door and entered first.

"Inu no Taisho-sama," Kagura announced. "They are here."

"Bring them in, bring them in," a deep voice directed. Shivers made their way down my spin as I took the step first around the corner and into the living area of the hotel room. I gasped aloud at the sight of Sesshomaru sitting on a chair, a grim look on his face.

I didn't dare say a word as he suddenly looked up at my arrival, a sudden look of relief in his eyes. I glanced around the room looking for my child, worry apparent on my features, but he gently shook his head in reassurance. My rapidly beating heart slowed some, but it only increased in wariness as I noticed the golden gaze set upon me by the man who started this entire mess.

Inu no Taisho was a tall man, slightly taller than his two sons. He had the same strange silvery hair, albeit his being a bit more gray than Sesshomaru or Inuyasha. He was fit like his sons and stood proudly, arrogantly. I could see where Book Boy inherited his stance. The only thing I disliked was that sly look in his golden eyes, especially as he regarded me.

"So," he drawled, raising an eyebrow. "You are the tart that diverted my son from his path?"

"Father," Book Boy hissed, standing up to halt him. I glared suddenly, which I knew startled the big bad yakuza father of my husband's. I could tell by the look in his eyes.

"So you're the evil father who's been making my life hell these past months?" I replied.

"Kagome," Sesshomaru warned. I placed a hand on my stomach, staying strong despite another good kick to my insides.

"Fiery," he commented lightly, deciding not to take my comment to heart. "Quite a beauty too, although your womanly wiles have foolishly led my son astray. I should punish you for distracting him in such a manner."

That made me freeze. Book Boy protectively took my side, fighting off the two pairs of arms that tried to keep him down in his chair. I wrapped my arms around him as he wrapped an arm around me in comfort.

"I'm here," he whispered into my hair. "I'm here, my love. I'm here."

"Ahh," Inu no Taisho then sighed, his smirk twisting into something maniacal. "Just the woman I wanted to see." I glanced to see Kikyo take a step forward, her body still having a slight tremor. Inuyasha stood up now, his eyes alight in worry, but the arms that failed to hold down Sesshomaru managed to shove him back down in his chair. "My, you've let yourself go."

I pressed closer to my husband as her lips trembled, but she still refused to speak. This displeased Inu no Taisho as he sneered slightly at her. "What happened to you? You had much more life the last time we met."

"You took it from me," she whispered, eyes big and angry. "It was you—you bastard!"

"Shut up," he demanded. "No one ever told you to be my mistress. You chose that path yourself."

I froze suddenly against Sesshomaru as I stared at my sister. She had been Inu no Taisho's mistress?

"You shouldn't have cheated," she whispered, her brown eyes tearing as she looked away from him. Her knuckles whitened as she clutched at her ratty pink robe. "You shouldn't have slept with those other women."

"And who are you to instruct such a thing of me?" Inu no Taisho asked, eyes narrowed as he took a sip from the glass I never noticed until now. "You should have known that I would never see you more than just a fuck."

Glossy tears ran down my sister's thin face as his words struck her deep within her soul. I could almost feel tears enter my own eyes as I buried my face into Sesshomaru's chest. Everything made sense now. Kikyo's despondency was of a broken heart just like Inu no Taisho's thorough hunt of her had been a chase of instructing revenge on a woman who stole his money to gain his attention. Although earlier I feared for both of our positions, I now feared most for Kikyo's.

"Book Boy," I whispered shakily. He stroked my hair, keeping an eye on his father's men more so then on the scene at hand.

"How fitting you both are sisters, I suppose," Inu no Taisho grumbled, tearing his eyes away from Kikyo to look upon me again. "So many issues to discuss...the important matters should come first."

"I will not leave Kagome," Sesshomaru announced, clutching me close. I think it was more for his comfort than mine, although I did greatly appreciate his closeness. "I refuse."

"I can see that," Inu no Taisho replied scathingly.

"Inu, we aren't finished yet!" Kikyo shrilled, finally gathering the courage to get her thoughts together. I squeaked as Sesshomaru's father quickly tossed his glass across the room, right above her head. Kikyo squealed as it broke instantly, the glass flying to the floor at her slipped covered feet. Her eyes were wide like a deer in headlights as she shivered, whimpering at the act of violence.

"Important matters first!" Inu no Taisho growled harshly. "Whores like you come second."

Everyone was quiet for a moment as he scowled fiercely at Kikyo before turning his attention at his son.

"I shall not leave her," Sesshomaru repeated.

"Perhaps we can make this work," Inu no Taisho replied at length, looking me over once more. "She obviously has provided you an heir. That much I can appreciate…but that goes against the agreement I made with young Kagura's father." He gestured to the woman, whom averted her eyes from the man in front of her. "What do you say to your intended, Sesshomaru?"

"I apologize immensely to both Kagura-san and her noble father," Sesshomaru spoke respectfully. "But I have chosen and my family has been made. There is no turning back no matter what you say."

"Hmm," Inu no Taisho murmured, his lips twisting into a smile. "Well then. I can't say that I don't enjoy the spirit, son. I doubt I've ever seen you more adamant on anything else in your life."

I refused to speak as the older man fell into a series of thoughts that he was the only one partial to know. His golden eyes flashed as a suddenly serene smile crossed his lips.

"I have the solution."

"What?" Sesshomaru asked cautiously.

"You may keep your wife," Inu no Taisho said. "Out of my kindness, you may remain wed. In return of this kindness, you must return to Japan for preparation of taking over my position."

Book Boy froze in my embrace, his breath caught. I could hear his heartbeat thumping hazardously in his chest as I gripped onto his clothing, squeezing my eyes shut. I knew his answer; he would obviously say yes. There was no doubt that he'd give up any sort of happiness to keep me as his wife despite his love for his current job. My lip quivered at the thought of him giving up his dreams, but I refused to cry out.

"I accept," he replied, voice defeated. Inu no Taisho smirked, but was interrupted by his younger son who jumped up suddenly.

"Don't do it!" Inuyasha cried. "I'll take over the family business—leave Sesshomaru and Kagome alone!"

"You?" Inu no Taisho asked, raising an eyebrow. Inuyasha nodded, eyes sparkling with sudden eagerness.

"Yes," he agreed. "Declare me as your heir and I will take your position. Dad, I've always tried to make myself useful to you and this is my chance to prove it!"

It was bullshit. Everyone in the room knew that he didn't want to take the job, but he was sacrificing himself for his brother. My heart clenched with gratefulness towards Inuyasha's unselfish suggestion especially as his father considered it.

"It's rather unorthodox that the family business go to the youngest," Inu no Taisho mulled over, glancing out the hotel window for a moment. "Why should you gain the business, Inuyasha?"

"Because I can run it better than Sesshomaru ever could," he boasted, sending his brother a sad smile. Sesshomaru opened his mouth to say something, but nothing escaped his lips. "Sides, Dad, you know I'm better suited for the physical things than him. Maybe we can agree to get his help for the technical money stuff…let me do the dangerous things. I don't want anyone in his family in trouble 'cause of business."

"You make a point about the physical aspect," Inu no Taisho nodded. "Alright. Both of you must return and Inuyasha will take over my position although you will support him from behind. Does that agree with you, Sesshomaru?"

"I suppose it will have to," Book Boy murmured. I assumed that, in this situation, things had gone around better than he hoped. His fingers ran down my spin and unconsciously over my stomach. Inu no Taisho looked pleased for a moment, nodding with a handsome smile on his face as he shook hands with his son, greeting him for finally stepping up to what Sesshomaru should have claimed long ago.

"And I will look over this 'running away' event as well," Inu no Taisho told the two of them. "You greatly upset me, but now my heirs are taking charge. That is payment and punishment enough."

"Hn," Sesshomaru replied. I supposed he was still rather upset and touched that Inuyasha had gone to such lengths for us.

"Now, now, Sesshomaru, your woman looks tired from standing," he commented, smiling now that he had gotten his way. "Sit her down, sit her down. The weight from the baby is most likely making her dizzy."

"Uh," I finally found my voice as Sesshomaru gently sat me down on the couch he was sitting on before. "Where is Natsuo?"

"He's in the next room asleep," Sesshomaru replied. "Don't worry. He's safe…and so are Shippou and Rin."

"Yeah, Kags," Inuyasha smiled, running his hand over mine. I grasped his with my other hand in thankfulness as I smiled with shiny eyes. I didn't want to cry in front of their strange father, but I felt the need to at that moment. "Hey, don't give me that look," he whispered so only the two of us could hear. "I'm happy to do it. Call it thanks for putting up with me and my disgusting habits for so many months."

"Now," I heard him drawl. "Onto you, my lovely disobedient slut."

"Hey!" I growled suddenly, drawing my courage as I tried to stand. Sesshomaru prevented me, however, as his father looked sharply in my direction. "That's my sister you're talking to!"

"Oh?" Inu no Taisho asked curiously. Kikyo held her ground, never looking at anyone besides Inu as he began circling her. "Well then, I couldn't very well do something _too _terrible to my daughter-in-law's sister."

Sesshomaru's eyes flashed for a moment before he gently cradled my head into the crook of his neck. "You don't want to hear," he muttered. "Go see Natsuo or—"

"I'm not leaving," I whispered.

"This seems like a fair trade," Inu no Taisho remarked. "You will repay me the money you have stolen by working for me in one of my brothels. Every penny you earn will come to me until I am repaid."

I tensed and Inuyasha stood up in protest, stomping over to put his arm around my slip of a sister.

"No way, Dad! She's bad enough as it is already—let her work as…as a maid! Or maybe she can be my secretary! Yeah, that's it!"

"She cannot escape this fate," Inu no Taisho replied, narrowing his eyes angrily at his son. "Now move from her or I will rethink my position of putting you in charge."

Kikyo murmured something that made Inuyasha stop and hesitate in his place. She pushed him to the side as she rose her delicate chin to look Inu no Taisho straight in the eyes.

"I have no intentions of accepting that disgusting proposal," Kikyo hissed. I screamed her name as a shiny silver gun flashed out of the depths of her pink house robe to her temple. The men that rushed forward to her, thinking she was to shoot Inu no Taisho, halted their movements. I stared at her in absolute horror, my stomach shooting me several pains from so much dread weighing my body down.

"Don't do this," Sesshomaru finally said, gathering his wits to be the first one to speak.

"Seriously, Kik!" Inuyasha responded, shaking his head in fright. "Suicide isn't the way to go!"

Rage filled my body, overcoming the pure dread I was feeling beforehand as she shook her head, her face of clear acceptance of her fate. I broke away from Sesshomaru's grasp with little struggle, causing her to glance at me as I approached her strongly and smoothly.

"D-Don't come closer," she whispered, but it was too late. I was close enough to give her the roughest smack across the face of her life. The gun dropped to the ground as her eyes watered, lifting her fingers to her throbbing face. The slap Kagura had given her paled in comparison to mine.

"You CAN'T do that!" I shouted. "Every fucking time that you needed to own responsibility, you ran away! Even as kids, you could never stay around long enough to receive a punishment!" My fists shook as I glared at her. "Do you know how selfish you are? DO YOU? If you off yourself right here, do you know how many people will be so upset? What about Mom, huh? What should I say to her—oh, Mom, Kikyo committed suicide. How do you think that would turn out, huh?!"

"I," she began shakily but my glare made her stop.

"You're my sister," I declared. "I fucking hate that you are, but you are. I'm not gonna deal with your blood on my hands—I absolutely refuse. You are never going to touch a gun again in your life, you are going to deal with whatever punishment you are given, and you will repay the bastard back." My eyes must have been misting because I suddenly felt a familiar wetness on my face. The silence was tense, unbearable, and uncomfortable as I shook my head at her. "Grow up, Kikyo. Just grow up."

She crumpled to the floor, heavy sobs racking her body as I whimpered myself, pressing a hand over my lips as I looked over at Sesshomaru. Inuyasha approached and kicked the gun away, running his large hands over Kikyo's small back. Sesshomaru nodded at me, giving me silent support of my actions. I quickly turned my back on the scene and exited into the bathroom, hoping to calm myself down and not hurt the baby in the process.

I inhaled and exhaled deeply several times after sitting myself on the covered toilet. The toilet paper beside me did well in clearing up the running mascara from my face and my sniffling nose. I appreciated the silence that the others left me with, and it really made me clear up my thoughts. I pulled out my cell phone, dialed his number, and waited for a moment.

"_What do you want?"_

"It's me," I replied, sniffling a little bit.

"_Kags? What's wrong?"_ he asked quickly, worriedly. "_Why're you crying?"_

"I wanna go back, Naraku," I said, my voice rough from tears. "I don't like it here and I think we have to go back b-but I don't know. Inu no Taisho is here and Kikyo almost killed herself and—Naraku, why aren't you here? God!"

"_God,"_ he repeated, voice shaky as I felt more tears fall down my face. _"S-She almost…?"_

"I stopped her," I promised. "I stopped her."

We were silent, but just hearing his breath over the phone line gave me some sort of comfort. Like he was really here with me instead of all the way over in Japan.

"…_Fuck."_

"Yeah," I agreed. "Fuck."

"_Kids alright?"_

"They're fine," I replied, looking around the bathroom as I dried my eyes. "Everyone's fine. Inuyasha's gonna take over the business and Sesshomaru will take care of the less dangerous stuff."

"_Wow,"_ he whistled. _"Just wow."_

"Yeah," I agreed again. "Wow."

* * *

Alright, so I said in my profile I'd never update or create another Kag/Sess again. Guess I lied, but this is the only exception. I feel bad for leaving you guys off at a point where I had all these things planned. I could actually still remember all the things I wanted to happen, so I got to the point and just had everything occur. Y'know, the big melt-down conflict part. So that's what this is...it probably doesn't flow with the rest, but at least you know what happens. That's how I thought of it, anyways.

There will most likely be an Epilogue. I won't just leave you here...the next chapter will have closure. Don't worry.

...I also didn't reread this. I just wrote to get it off my conscience and didn't look back, so I have no idea how it flows. Oh well, I guess...


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